


Dust

by HannaSedai



Category: Teen Titans
Genre: Gen, Mystery, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-29
Updated: 2010-06-28
Packaged: 2017-10-17 11:47:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 157,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/176544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HannaSedai/pseuds/HannaSedai
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A continuation of the episode "Haunted."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: Survive

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** Hold on, I'm buying the copyrights right now on ebay...

**Disclaimer:** Hold on, I'm buying the copyrights right now on ebay...

 **A/N:** Hey guys! This is just a teaser for the whole story "Dust," which is currently being outlined and written. So if you had to ask me which is my least favorite season of TT, I would have to say that I disliked the Brother Blood story arc. I mean, I love the Titans East and all but disliked the end of "Titans East Pt. 2". AND THE ENDING OF "HAUNTED" WAS NEVER RESOLVED! ARGH! CURSE YOU CARTOON NETWORK! So, I would have rather seen a story arc based off of Haunted, which is what I am going to attempt to do.

* * *

"I said in my heart with regard to human beings that God is testing them to show that they are but animals. For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again."

Ecclesiastes 3:18-20

* * *

Prologue: Survive

Robin crawled away.

The shadow of the man he hated loomed above him. Robin's shaking hand stretched out towards the bottom of the stairs as he tried to crawl away, desperate to escape the clutches of a madman. He no longer had a desire to fight Slade or to bring him to justice, but still Slade followed him like some fallen angel back from the grave. Youthful defiance could be curbed with the proper amount of pain. The mercenary had reduced Robin to a whimpering, broken boy crawling on the floor like some slithering, deformed creature. Robin could think of nothing else but the pain, the pain that only escalated like a rising musical crescendo.

Endure.

Subsist.

Survive.

That was all that mattered now.

"Slade…" he murmured. "Slade….stop…"

Slade's foot swung back and kicked Robin away from the stairs. He rolled to his side and groaned, not even bothering to stand up and fight. His voice was pleading… weak...

He had pleaded to Slade before, back when he had worked for him as his apprentice. He had pleaded Slade to spare the lives of his friends, but back then he had a choice in the matter. Here and now he didn't have a choice. No matter what he did…no matter what he said…Slade was here for no other purpose than to extract violent revenge. But this time Robin wasn't pleading to save his friends.

He was pleading to save himself.

"No, Robin." The overhead basement lights flickered on and off."I won't stop. Not now, not ever."

He grabbed Robin by the front of his uniform and pulled him close to his masked face. "I am the thing that keeps you up at night…the evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind. I will never rest. And neither will you."

Robin's feet dangled as he hung limply in Slade's grip like a discarded child's toy, his head flung back in defeat. His neck was exposed, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gasped for breath. It would be so easy for Slade to cut his throat, to snuff the life from him as he hung defenseless in Slade's powerful fists. He could hear Slade breathing heavily through his metal mask and could feel the warmth of the man's breath against his neck.

He mustered up the strength to lift his head so that he could look at his arch-enemy in the eye. If he was going to die he was going to die like a man. Their faces were so close together that he could see his faint reflection in Slade's metal mask. His own harsh, ragged breath misted the mask. So close.

So uncomfortably close.

"My…friends say…you're not real!"

"Oh…I'm _very_ real." He shoved Robin down into the wall. Stars popped in front of Robin's eyes as the back of his head hit the steel beam. "Could you have gotten those bruises from someone who wasn't there? You can't even touch me."

His tone was mocking. Robin could feel the blood pooling beneath his skin, forming black-and-purple contusions that would take days to heal. That is, if he had any chance to live at all. But Slade had a point. Everything about this seemed so real. How could this _not_ be real?

Brief but vivid memories of his time as Slade's apprentice flashed through his mind.

He thought of his friends. He thought of Alfred and of Gotham City. He thought of Bruce. Raven's brief possession of his mind had resurfaced suppressed memories of his childhood in Gotham, dark and emotional memories he wanted to leave behind in Gotham. But Bruce didn't know what it means to give up or to give in. Bruce confronted his childhood fear of bats when he took up the cowl. He didn't let his fear control him. He had used it and made villains fear the bats. Robin understood.

He would have to confront his personal demons to survive.

"All these…bruises…but you don't have a scratch!"

What would Batman do? He went through the memories of the past few hours, searching for clues he may have missed before. Voices echoed through his mind, harsh accusations reverberating off the walls of his tortured mind in overlapping waves.

 _"But Robin, there was no one there!"_

 _"There are no generators. There is no Slade!"_

 _"I am the thing that keeps you up at night. The evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind…"_

Robin clutched his aching side as he struggled to his feet. He slung an arm over one of the steel support beams and looked right at Slade's face. He looked so real…these bruises were real…but what was Robin missing? If Slade wasn't real and he was doing this to himself, then how could Robin defeat his own fears?

The mercenary towered over him. There was no doubt in Robin's mind that Slade meant to kill him in the basement of Titans Tower. Slade had said so himself. Robin lifted his head. A shadow of doubt crossed his mind.

Would Slade, the _real_ Slade, actually kill him?

"Every dark corner…you're only in my mind. Only in the dark. My friends are right! _You aren't real!"_

Slade's single eye widened, surprised at his sudden defiance.

"I'm real enough to finish you!"

Slade charged forward like the nightmare monster that he was. Robin's hand groped blindly in the dark until he found the light switch. Gritting his teeth, he slammed the switch down as Slade's hand reached for his throat. Robin blinked at the sudden light, but he saw Slade disappear into thin air. Robin's arm fell limply to his side. The only sounds now were the consistent pitter-patter of the rain hitting the window and the soft rumble of distant thunder.

"Lights out, Slade."

* * *

 **A/N:** So...what do you think? I know it's just a rewrite of the ending of "Haunted," but I tried to up the creepy factor and add even more emotion. I actually like how this turned out. Kudos to those who got my subtle Dr. McNinja reference.


	2. Prologue: Survive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Curse you DC Comics!

**Disclaimer:** Hold on, I'm buying the copyrights right now on ebay...

 **A/N:** Hey guys! This is just a teaser for the whole story "Dust," which is currently being outlined and written. So if you had to ask me which is my least favorite season of TT, I would have to say that I disliked the Brother Blood story arc. I mean, I love the Titans East and all but disliked the end of "Titans East Pt. 2". AND THE ENDING OF "HAUNTED" WAS NEVER RESOLVED! ARGH! CURSE YOU CARTOON NETWORK! So, I would have rather seen a story arc based off of Haunted, which is what I am going to attempt to do.

* * *

"I said in my heart with regard to human beings that God is testing them to show that they are but animals. For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again."

Ecclesiastes 3:18-20

* * *

Prologue: Survive

Robin crawled away.

The shadow of the man he hated loomed above him. Robin's shaking hand stretched out towards the bottom of the stairs as he tried to crawl away, desperate to escape the clutches of a madman. He no longer had a desire to fight Slade or to bring him to justice, but still Slade followed him like some fallen angel back from the grave. Youthful defiance could be curbed with the proper amount of pain. The mercenary had reduced Robin to a whimpering, broken boy crawling on the floor like some slithering, deformed creature. Robin could think of nothing else but the pain, the pain that only escalated like a rising musical crescendo.

Endure.

Subsist.

Survive.

That was all that mattered now.

"Slade…" he murmured. "Slade….stop…"

Slade's foot swung back and kicked Robin away from the stairs. He rolled to his side and groaned, not even bothering to stand up and fight. His voice was pleading… weak...

He had pleaded to Slade before, back when he had worked for him as his apprentice. He had pleaded Slade to spare the lives of his friends, but back then he had a choice in the matter. Here and now he didn't have a choice. No matter what he did…no matter what he said…Slade was here for no other purpose than to extract violent revenge. But this time Robin wasn't pleading to save his friends.

He was pleading to save himself.

"No, Robin." The overhead basement lights flickered on and off."I won't stop. Not now, not ever."

He grabbed Robin by the front of his uniform and pulled him close to his masked face. "I am the thing that keeps you up at night…the evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind. I will never rest. And neither will you."

Robin's feet dangled as he hung limply in Slade's grip like a discarded child's toy, his head flung back in defeat. His neck was exposed, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gasped for breath. It would be so easy for Slade to cut his throat, to snuff the life from him as he hung defenseless in Slade's powerful fists. He could hear Slade breathing heavily through his metal mask and could feel the warmth of the man's breath against his neck.

He mustered up the strength to lift his head so that he could look at his arch-enemy in the eye. If he was going to die he was going to die like a man. Their faces were so close together that he could see his faint reflection in Slade's metal mask. His own harsh, ragged breath misted the mask. So close.

So uncomfortably close.

"My…friends say…you're not real!"

"Oh…I'm _very_ real." He shoved Robin down into the wall. Stars popped in front of Robin's eyes as the back of his head hit the steel beam. "Could you have gotten those bruises from someone who wasn't there? You can't even touch me."

His tone was mocking. Robin could feel the blood pooling beneath his skin, forming black-and-purple contusions that would take days to heal. That is, if he had any chance to live at all. But Slade had a point. Everything about this seemed so real. How could this _not_ be real?

Brief but vivid memories of his time as Slade's apprentice flashed through his mind.

He thought of his friends. He thought of Alfred and of Gotham City. He thought of Bruce. Raven's brief possession of his mind had resurfaced suppressed memories of his childhood in Gotham, dark and emotional memories he wanted to leave behind in Gotham. But Bruce didn't know what it means to give up or to give in. Bruce confronted his childhood fear of bats when he took up the cowl. He didn't let his fear control him. He had used it and made villains fear the bats. Robin understood.

He would have to confront his personal demons to survive.

"All these…bruises…but you don't have a scratch!"

What would Batman do? He went through the memories of the past few hours, searching for clues he may have missed before. Voices echoed through his mind, harsh accusations reverberating off the walls of his tortured mind in overlapping waves.

 _"But Robin, there was no one there!"_

 _"There are no generators. There is no Slade!"_

 _"I am the thing that keeps you up at night. The evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind…"_

Robin clutched his aching side as he struggled to his feet. He slung an arm over one of the steel support beams and looked right at Slade's face. He looked so real…these bruises were real…but what was Robin missing? If Slade wasn't real and he was doing this to himself, then how could Robin defeat his own fears?

The mercenary towered over him. There was no doubt in Robin's mind that Slade meant to kill him in the basement of Titans Tower. Slade had said so himself. Robin lifted his head. A shadow of doubt crossed his mind.

Would Slade, the _real_ Slade, actually kill him?

"Every dark corner…you're only in my mind. Only in the dark. My friends are right! _You aren't real!"_

Slade's single eye widened, surprised at his sudden defiance.

"I'm real enough to finish you!"

Slade charged forward like the nightmare monster that he was. Robin's hand groped blindly in the dark until he found the light switch. Gritting his teeth, he slammed the switch down as Slade's hand reached for his throat. Robin blinked at the sudden light, but he saw Slade disappear into thin air. Robin's arm fell limply to his side. The only sounds now were the consistent pitter-patter of the rain hitting the window and the soft rumble of distant thunder.

"Lights out, Slade."

* * *

 **A/N:** So...what do you think? I know it's just a rewrite of the ending of "Haunted," but I tried to up the creepy factor and add even more emotion. I actually like how this turned out. Kudos to those who got my subtle Dr. McNinja reference.


	3. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** If I owned Teen Titans there would be a sixth season. And a Batman crossover. And a Justice League crossover. It would be too epic for words.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Teen Titans there would be a sixth season. And a Batman crossover. And a Justice League crossover. It would be too epic for words.

* * *

Chapter 2: Memories

As the Titans dispersed Robin went back to his room. If he had tried to follow them or help them out in any way after last night's events he knew that they would have stopped him. He supposed it was for the best. But he was still pissed. He didn't like sitting around while the others did something. However, Robin did feel tired.

He opened his laptop and turned on the video camera. Robin was quite certain that Scarecrow created the dust in Slade's mask, but there were still things he didn't understand. If he had to, he would go interrogate the madman in Arkham himself. But if Slade was truly dead, then who triggered the reagent? Well, there was one thing he knew for sure:

Whoever triggered the reagent had it in for the Boy Wonder.

The Bat Cave showed up on screen. As Robin expected, the room was empty except for one person. An older man stood on the far end of the room, dusting off the humming machines.

"Alfred."

The man turned at the sound of his name. His old, jovial face lit up when he saw who it was.

"Ah, Master Dick!"

"Hi Alfred," Robin replied, smiling in return. "Is Bruce up?"

"At this hour? No, he is not."

Robin glanced at the alarm clock next to his desk. It was only ten in the morning in Gotham. He was counting on Bruce still asleep. Right now he didn't want to talk to Bruce, especially not after the events of last night. Besides, Alfred is perfectly capable of transferring the files. Bruce didn't need to know.

"Do you wish for me to wake him?"

"No, no you don't' have to. I just…I just need someone to talk to."

He loved Bruce as a father, he really did, but after storming out on him their relationship became a little...strained. Over the past few years he talked little to Batman. He had only called to talk to Alfred. He had visited Gotham to visit Alfred. He didn't want to talk anyone else but Alfred. Alfred leaned in closer to the camera and squinted.

"What happened to your face?"

Robin touched the bruise that still sealed his right eye almost shut. A twinge of pain shot through his face. Alfred's lips pursed in dislike.

"Master Dick, please take off your mask. Let me see."

"It's…it's nothing, Alfred. Don't worry about me."

"I always worry about you. Please take it off."

Sighing, Robin took off his mask. If it was even possible, the bruising became more evident. The pale thin face of Dick Grayson was splashed with the dark hues of black and purple. Alfred's involuntary winch cut through him like a knife.

"I am going to wake Master Bruce," Alfred said. "Wait here while I—"

 _"No!"_ Robin exclaimed, standing up. "Alfred, don't wake him up. He doesn't need to know about thi—Alfred!"

Too late. Robin watched the shadow of the butler move up as Alfred climbed the winding staircase leading back to Wayne Manor. His hand moved to turn off the camera, but then he thought better. Even if he logged off Bruce would still call him back. He leaned back morosely in his chair and crossed his arms tightly across his chest.

The last thing he wanted to do was talk to Bruce. As he waited, however, he raised his fist in front of his face. All of these bruises were inflicted by his own fists. Slowly, he tapped his face lightly with his fist. How could he have done this to himself? It just didn't make sense. He didn't remember punching or hurting himself in any way.

A few minutes later he saw Bruce climbing down the stairs to the Bat Cave. He was dressed in a maroon dressing robe, his dark hair messy and the shadow of a beard gracing his strong chin. Bruce's step quickened once he caught sight of Robin's bruised face.

"What happened, Dick?"

Straight to the point, as always. Robin didn't want to talk, but he had called Wayne Manor for a reason.

"I'm not sure," he said. "How is Scarecrow doing these days?"

 **-BB-**

Beast Boy walked through the tunnel, his ears perked for any unusual sounds and his green eyes sweeping the surrounding area. Starfire flew alongside him.

Coming here was a bittersweet experience. He wanted to see Terra's statue again, but seeing it reminded him of painful memories. To his surprise he felt a little resentful that Robin had sent him here. What did he expect them to find? Wintergreen's phone number lying forgotten on the ground?

After Terra died the JCPD scoured Slade's destroyed liar. True, they hadn't found Slade's body or any scarp of DNA evidence to prove that he had died along with her. That infuriated Beast Boy more than anything else. If it wasn't for Slade, Terra would have been a true Teen Titan. She would still be alive...they would still be together...still...

Terra's statue loomed into view. There she stood, frozen in time, her arms outstretched in her last act of defiance. He could still hear her scream of fury as she struggled to stop the volcano and Slade. His jaw trembled as he struggled to hold back tears.

Beast Boy collapsed to his knees in front of her statue. He should have brought a bouquet of flowers for her. She would have appreciated that.

"Beast Boy…" Starfire murmured, landing next to him. "Are you certain that you can continue?"

He gazed at Terra's stone face. An animalistic rage surged through him, a burning hatred for Slade and what he had done to Terra. For a moment he felt that he understood Robin's hatred for Slade. Like Robin, Beast Boy had fought him once before, at the carnival the night she betrayed them. Like Robin, he had lost.

Although he didn't want to admit it, he was glad the man was dead.

"Yeah," he replied in a sad voice. "It's…it's just that I miss her so much."

"As do I." Her eyes never left Terra's face. "I shall never meet another person who will eat my Tamaranean folkdishes."

A small smile crept across his face. He had almost forgotten about that. Beast Boy stood up and sighed. Terra was dead, but his memories of her were still vividly alive.

"Come on, Star," he said, "let's take a look around."

 **-Rae-**

Raven blinked slowly as Cyborg turned on the overhead lights. In a few moments they fizzled and hissed as the bulbs gave out.

"Well, that was effective."

Cyborg didn't reply as he turned on his own light that popped from his shoulder. Thankfully, the lights weren't really needed since morning sunshine filtered through the broken windows. There were scuff marks on the floor from where Robin had been, tearing through the haunt as his imagination strangled and beat him.

"Slade destroyed this place for a reason," Cyborg said, stepping in front of the tall television screens. "He didn't want us snooping around."

The empath glided over to stand beside Cyborg. She could still sense Robin's obvious discomfort and uneasiness about the situation. Although her morning mediation somewhat eased her own disquiet, she could not help but feel…vulnerable.

Exposed.

Last night when she reached out to Robin, she knew that she had caught him in an extremely vulnerable state of mind. She felt as if she had enveloped him completely as she took over his mind, experiencing his painful memories just as he had felt them years ago. She felt her heart ache as she watched his parents fall to their deaths, feel the sense of childish pride as Dick Grayson took Batman's oath of justice, and feel the anger surging through her as Slade dangled the lives of the Titans over Robin's head like obscene puppets.

Those memories seemed sharper in her mind now as she stood in Slade's lair. As Trigon's daughter, Raven knew how it felt to feel threatened, frightened and alone when circumstances seemed out of one's control. As she stepped towards Slade's throne something caught on her foot. They were the remains of the hated controller to the nanoscopic probes. Raven bent down and picked it up.

"You saw more than just Slade, didn't you?" Cyborg asked.

"I saw many things," she replied, examining the controller. "Memories that are not mine to share."

She set the broken controller down on a table.

"This place may hold more clues than Terra's tomb," she said, running a hand across the dusty armrest of Slade's throne. "This is where Slade lived long before he met us. Even if he destroyed this place he couldn't have been able to destroy everything."

She could hear faint, echoing voices, so faint that she thought it was only her imagination. Robin's harsh cries of pain reverberated from the rusty metal walls as Slade's cruel laugh in mocking reply. Figures flickered in and out of existence like retinal echoes. Robin in his apprentice uniform lying trapped on the floor, his back arching in pain as Slade twisted his right arm over his head.

 _"-But all you care about," Slade's voice hissed, "is your worthless, little_ friends _!"_

Raven shook her head. She did not want to see these memories and she was sure Robin did not want her to either. Bits and fragments of Robin's memories were awakened by this place.

Even in death Slade's evil presence still hung in the air like sickly miasma.

"Well, I'm sure that Wintergreen doesn't want to be found," Cyborg said. "We don't even know if the guy's still in the city."

They shifted through the rubble, being extremely careful not to disturb the delicate piles of metal cogs that had almost crushed Robin to death the night before. Raven drifted through the debris and made her way into the other rooms of the haunt.

Most of the rooms were empty. Robin had suspected that Slade came back to move everything out after the haunt was destroyed, but there were a few things left. Broken bits of the Sladebots. The melted remains of an old computer. She didn't know what she was supposed to find. If Robin hadn't told them about Wintergreen she would have never known that the man even existed.

A soft bleeping sound caught her attention.

Raven touched the gem on her cloak, which was blinking. She glanced up at Cyborg, whose mechanical eye was also blinking. The light tinkle of the communicator's ring sounded out of place in Slade's lair. She opened the communicator.

"Johnny Rancid has been spotted downtown," Robin said. "Robbing a bank. Meet the others there."

* * *

 **A/N:** A little slow, I know. But there are several things here I would have liked to have seen in Season 3: the characters' reactions to past events, especially the ending of season 2.

I also think that Raven's POV is getting a little Dead Zone-ish, but I'm used to writing from Robin's POV. This is the first time I'm writing from other characters' viewpoints. Is Raven's viewpoint okay?

Also, when I really thought about it, Beast Boy really dislikes Slade. Not as much as Robin, but he really hates Slade for what he did to Terra.

Reviews appreciated.


	4. Robbery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** DC Comics is such a klorbag for not letting me own Teen Titans.

**Disclaimer:** DC Comics is such a klorbag for not letting me own Teen Titans.

* * *

Chapter 3: Robbery

 **-C-**

Cyborg held his ground as his arm changed swiftly into a sonic cannon, his mouth set in a grimace as Johnny Rancid revved up his motorcycle threateningly. The Titans had him surrounded outside of the Bank of Perez. Money fluttered in the air as bank employees huddled behind the counters in a panic. Bags of money were tied to the back of Johnny Rancid's motorcycle.

"Hey, where's Bird Boy?" he asked, grinning wickedly as he jabbed a pride thumb to his chest. "Afraid to fight the Johnny Rancid?"

"When you talk in third person, maybe," Raven said dryly.

Johnny's smile turned into a frown as he revved up the motorcycle again. A challenge. Cyborg disliked Johnny's punk attitude, as though he owned this town. He was nothing but a low-rate criminal. Even Brother Blood…Cyborg shook the thought of the HIVE Headmaster out of his head. He guessed that he now understood what it was like to have an arch-nemesis. He could relate to Robin's obsession with Slade, but...

The annoying rev of the engine grated his mechanical ears.

"Let's just get this over with," he said quietly to the other Titans. "Rancid is not worth our time."

"You know, I was really hoping he'd show up," Rancid said. "But I guess I'll just have to make do."

The Titans tensed.

 _"Titans, go!"_ Cyborg yelled.

They clashed.

 **-R-**

He told Bruce everything.

Robin didn't like it, but this was something that Bruce had to know. He would have preferred to tell Alfred, like he did mere minutes after coming home from Slade's haunt. That was something he couldn't tell Bruce in person, not even through the middleman of the webcam. So he had counted on Alfred to tell Bruce about his experience as Slade's apprentice. Robin still didn't know how Bruce felt about that.

The man was, after all, his adopted father.

Bruce listened with quiet determination, his expression hardening as Robin described how real Slade seemed. As Robin talked, he wondered vaguely what Bruce would see if he was zapped with Scarecrow's gas. His parents' murders? The Joker? What?

As Robin finished talking Bruce leaned forwards towards the webcam, resting his stubbled chin on folded hands.

"I'm not sure if I agree with your theory," he said. "Crane is locked up in Arkham. I don't believe that this lead will get you anywhere even if Crane admits that he created the dust for Deathstroke."

"Bruce, I will admit that I don't know what's going on," Robin said, growing steadily more irritated by the minute. "But I can solve this by myself!"

"Someone's targeting you because of me!" Bruce snapped. "Now I can't come to Jump because—"

 _"It's not always about you, Bruce!"_

Ugh. He had forgotten how much the man could infuriate him. Bruce's lips set in a thin disapproving line at the outburst. Robin tensed, as though preparing for a physical fight with the Dark Knight. The last thing he wanted was a lecture on how to run his team.

"I know, but if Scarecrow really is behind this then—"

"Look, we've already got two leads. Either you send me Crane's files or you set me up an appointment with Jeremiah Arkham—"

 _"Arkham?"_ He sounded incredulous. "Dick, I'm not letting you go to Arkham. Especially not after last night."

"What am I supposed to do?" Robin's voice rose as he stood up angrily. "Wait for whoever it is to strike again?"

"You need to narrow down your search." Bruce's fingers tapped the keyboard impatiently. "Don't attack all the leads at once. Keep Scarecrow open as a possibility, but focus on the lead in Jump first before calling me back about Arkham."

The room darkened as the electricity went out. Even Bruce fell silent as Robin gazed around his bedroom. The only electronic thing still working was his laptop, which was now running on its batteries.

"Power outage," Robin said bluntly, putting his mask back over his eyes. "Bruce, I'll call you back."

 **-S-**

Starfire increased her speed as Cyborg was thrown back into the air, intending to catch him and bring him back to safety. For the umpteenth time she wished that Robin was there to assist them. Whenever he was not among them she felt lonely. The team did not seem whole without their leader.

"Thanks, Star," Cyborg said.

Her eyes glowed green as she flew alongside Beast Boy, who had morphed into a cheetah and was running alongside Johnny's motorcycle. The ground seemed to roll away underneath her as she flew faster and faster, the wind whipping back her long red hair. Robin was always the one who chased the Johnny Rancid on the R-Cycle.

She twisted in the air as her fists glowed with power and aimed towards Johnny's tires.

"Please desist!" she said. "I do not wish to harm you!"

Rancid banked sharply towards her and cut off Beast Boy. To avoid being run over he transformed into an eagle, his wings flapping wildly as he struggled catch a wind current. Even though she honestly did not want to hurt the Johnny Rancid she knew that she had to. With a grunt of exertion she fired her starbolts from her clenched fists.

She threw her arms over her face to shield herself from the ensuing explosion. Her starbolts caused the motorcycle to flip over, its occupant still acting within the devious laws of physics as he hurtled through the air. His helmet skidded a few feet away from them. Bags of money tore open as they hit the ground. They would be a pain to clean up. Cyborg drew back his fist and punched Rancid out of the air, slamming the punk down into the street.

"Booya," Cyborg said, though unenthusiastically.

Starfire touched down to the ground. Police cars screeched to a halt as passerby clapped. Now that the battle was over she could hear the confused mutters of the surrounding crowd. Of course, people _would_ notice if their team was short one member, especially if that missing member was Robin the Boy Wonder. She watched as Cyborg grabbed Rancid by the scruff of his muscle shirt and pulled him close to his snarling face.

"What do you know about dust, tough guy?"

 _"Dust?"_ Rancid echoed, sounding both confused and irate. "Why? Is that why Bird Boy isn't here?"

Raven landed next to Cyborg. "Don't waste your time. Rancid doesn't know anything."

Policemen came to handcuff Rancid and bring him to jail. Starfire stepped out of their way, but before she could levitate into the air she found a microphone in her face. A female news reporter with a dazzling smile grasped Starfire's wrist and pulled her in front a camera.

"Hi, Starfire," the woman said, her voice unnaturally cheerful. "Would you mind telling us why Robin isn't here?"

"I-" Starfire hesitated, unsure of what to say. "I do not wish to-"

"Hell," she heard Cyborg mumble as other reporters surrounded him. "We can't handle the media now."

Reporters clustered around Beast Boy, who somehow found things to say. Starfire did not wish to speak to any reporters. Their urgent tones reminded her of the time when Robin had disappeared to work for Slade. As she gazed around at the growing crowd she realized that they were in front of the P.I.Z.Z.A place, where she had first touched down in Jump in a murderous rage.

She closed her eyes.

Although she loved all of her friends Robin was the one who helped her first. He had dared to approach the crazy Tamaranean wreaking havoc around Jump City. If it wasn't for him, she might be on some faraway alien planet-to the Citadel-as a servant and a prize. With some embarrassment she remembered how she had pulled him into a quick kiss to learn English before shoving him to the ground. But despite all of the trouble they've been through-even when they stood-off on top of Wayne Enterprises-she still loved him. It had pained her so much to shoot him with her starbolts the night before, even though she knew that she did the right thing.

It was some comfort to her that he had agreed to stay behind. She was ashamed to admit it, but some part of her believed that he had actually lost his mind the night before.

She was so afraid of losing him and all of her friends.

 **-R-**

Everything was down. Security, electricity, everything. His heart pumped madly as different scenarios played in his mind, each more worse than the last. _Relax,_ he told himself, _the storm last night must have caused powerlines to come down._

But they lived in the middle of the ocean.

He left his room and began to walk down the Tower, intending to go to the fuse box in the basement and turn the electricity back on. Then he may or may not call back Bruce. The Tower seemed oddly empty and dark without the Titans around, even in the daytime. Hopefully this time he wouldn't have another surprise visit from Larry, his acid-tripping twin from another demen—

 _Thump._

Robin paused.

He listened.

 _It must be my imagination,_ he thought, still listening for the sound. _No one is here but me._

Something _thumped_ from downstairs. His eyes roved around the common room suspiciously as his hand moved to the communicator hanging at his belt.

Suddenly a visit from Larry seemed like a very good idea.

"Titans," he said, snapping open the communicator. "Someone's in the Tower."

" _What?"_ Cyborg asked.

"Security's been knocked down. Someone's here."

"Are you sure, man?" Cyborg looked worried, as though he thought that the dust had resurfaced like a creeping cancer. "You sure you're not—"

 _THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!_

Cyborg's eyes widened as Robin's head turned, trying to locate the source of the noise. It was slightly soothing to know that he wasn't just hearing things. But not by much.

"We're coming right now! Whoever messed with my security is gonna pay—"

Robin placed the communicator back into his belt. Someone was in the Tower. The best thing to do now was to get the Tower's security back online. To do that he would have to first go down to the basement, turn the electricity back on, and then reboot the system. After the events of last night he really didn't want to go back down to the basement. _Come on, Grayson,_ he thought, _Slade was part of your imagination. He isn't real._

Before going down to the basement he grabbed a flashlight, just in case.

He was sure that he could hear the footsteps again. The metal stairs creaked as he walked downstairs. None of the others had been down here since his imaginary confrontation with Slade.

" _Alone again, Robin?"_ Slade's voice asked, his tone taunting. _"As long as I'm around, you are never alone."_

"You're not real," Robin said aloud. "Go away."

Of course, he hadn't actually heard Slade's voice. It was just the haunting memories. He turned on the flashlight. Robin was careful to avoid the evidence boxes in case the dust was still there. A beam of light fell upon the fuse box hanging on one of the steel support beams. He opened it and studied the controls. Cyborg knew the security system best, but Robin knew how to put the system back online-

 _SLAM!_

His heart nearly jumped into his throat as the door slammed shut, leaving him in near-darkness. He spun around and pointed the flashlight towards the top of the staircase. It was cold down here. His breath misted and gooseflesh rose on his exposed skin. There weren't any windows open upstairs. Someone had slammed that door shut. Robin sprinted back up the stairs and almost threw himself upon the door, desperately afraid that it would be locked.

It wasn't.

He fell upon the floor in his haste to get out. His head snapped upward as he heard the thumping noise again. Robin sprang to his feet and assumed a fighting stance.

 _"SHOW YOURSELF!"_ Robin bellowed.

Of course, the mysterious visitor didn't answer. Robin pressed himself against the wall and took out his bo-staff. Even though he wasn't in any condition to fight he would still have to try. He turned off the communicator. They were coming. He didn't want to give away his position.

Robin didn't have any sort of plan. All he knew was that he was going to sneak up on the intruder. He moved slowly against the wall, his ears listening intently for the thumping noises again. Who was here? What did he want? Did this have something to do with the dust?

He didn't know.

All this uncertainty made him edgy; more edgy than usual. His ears perked at the sound of a door creaking open. He practically hugged the wall as he moved closer to the sound of footsteps echoing in the main hall.

Someone was coming!

With a roar he leapt into the air and pounced upon the intruder. Together they rolled down the hallway as they fought, their fists and kicks becoming mere blurs. Robin fought with the ferocity of a cornered man.

 _"DUDE!"_ a strangled voice yelled. _"It's me!"_

The electricity came back on. The Tower surged back to life as the security system came back online. To Robin's surprise he found his gloved hands clutching Beast Boy's throat. An expression of complete terror crossed Beast Boy's face.

"Sorry," Robin said, backing away. "I got carried away."

Beast Boy frowned as he stood up. The others stared as Robin composed himself, ashamed that he attacked Beast Boy. The faint outline of a bruise was already blooming on Beast Boy's cheek. Robin turned his head away, slouching so that his cape covered his entire upper body. He was paranoid.

So paranoid.

"Security system is back online," Cyborg said. "The intruder is gone."

Robin's nostrils flared in anger. He still couldn't believe that someone had invaded the Tower-especially while he was home. Only one more reason not to call Bruce back.

"And Johnny Rancid?"

"In jail," Raven said.

Well, at least one thing went right.

"I've already swept the Tower for bugs," Cyborg said. "Whatever the invader meant to do, he didn't do it."

"We can't be sure," Robin replied. "You've checked the Tower before. You missed the cameras Slade installed."

"Say what?"

"I took them down after I came back from the haunt," Robin said. "He installed the cameras long before I worked for him."

Cyborg looked positively offended at the idea of someone getting past his security and the idea of foreign technology being installed in the Tower without his knowledge. But it was true that Slade had installed the cameras. Robin didn't tell them and took them down himself. He didn't need to give them another reason to panic. The looming darkness of Slade's haunt clouded his vision as he remembered watching his friends cope with his betrayal.

 _So close, yet so far away..._

 _The bright flicker of the television screens cast light upon Robin's hunched figure. Instead of the usual footage of the nanoscopic probes footage of the Titans in the Tower played. His masked eyes watched them mope about the common room, although he said nothing to Slade. His hand reached out, as though he meant to touch them through the video screens. As soon as he realized what he was doing Robin let his hand fall to his side. Of course, this was_ exactly _how Slade wanted him to feel. Alone. Alone except for the man he was forced to call master. He stiffened as Slade placed a hand on his shoulder.  
_

 _"When did you put the cameras in the Tower?" Robin asked, moving to brush Slade's hand away from his shoulder._

 _In response Slade's grip on his shoulder tightened painfully._

 _"Why do you want to know, my apprentice?"_

 _Despite himself, Robin felt fearful as Slade forced him to turn around. Goosebumps rose on his arms as his mouth went dry. Slade's fingers dug into the flesh of his arm. Robin glanced at the hand holding him steady before turning his head to look up at Slade._

 _It hurt._

 _"Never mind."_

 _It was a safe answer. With Slade, there was no telling how far he could push the man. But it seemed as though Slade wanted to provoke Robin with footage of the Titans. It took most of Robin's self-control to just let it go. He wouldn't give the man the satisfaction of picking a fight that he knew he would lose. He glanced back at the television screens.  
_

 _Judging from the position of the cameras, Robin knew exactly where they would be in the Tower._

Beast Boy spoke up first, his voice cutting through Robin's thoughts.

"Hey, what else are you not telling us?" he demanded. "First you don't tell us about Wintergreen, now the cameras—"

 _"Slade's dead!"_ Robin snarled, his anger rising. " _What else do you want to know? What it was like living with a psychopath?"_

At once he regretted his outburst. He dug a palm into his forehead and turned away, collapsing onto the couch. Why was he so afraid of telling them the truth? If he had told them everything about his time with Slade, would any of this had happened?

Oh, the man had worn him so thin…so fast…had it really been so long ago? It seemed like an eternity ago yet he could recall the memories as though they defeated Slade yesterday.

"Whoever is behind this," Raven said, "knows how to get under our skin."

"We don't know what the intruder meant to do," Robin said. "Maybe he counted on _everyone_ being out of the Tower."

Robin's mind whirled with complex theories. Yes, there were things he didn't understand. But Batman was right: he had to narrow down his search. Information needed to be gathered. Wintergreen needed to be found. The perpetrator needed to be behind bars.

He had a plan.

* * *

 **A/N:** MWAHAHAHA! Yeah, it's only going to get creepier from here on out. And I really just can't seem to _not_ write about the Apprentice Arc. It's just so awesome!

Also have been re-reading the Batman: Knightfall series, so I actually know what Batman sees under Scarecrow's gas. But I can't really mention it here because it doesn't fit within the continuity.

So I'm experimenting with multiple POVs here. Hopefully they work out fine. If not, tell me.

Don't be a klorbag like DC Comics. Be awesome little bumgorfs and leave a review.


	5. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Ho hum...no I don't own Teen Titans. Maybe I'll marry a rich man someday and he'll buy DC Comics for me like Disney bought Marvel...

**Disclaimer:** Ho hum...no I don't own Teen Titans. Maybe I'll marry a rich man someday and he'll buy DC Comics for me like Disney bought Marvel...

* * *

"I chose this life.

I know what I'm doing.

And on any given day, I could stop doing it.

Today, however, isn't that day.

And tomorrow won't be either."

-Bruce Wayne. Identity Crisis. 

* * *

Chapter 4: Secrets

 **-BB-**

It was late afternoon.

Beast Boy sat on the couch moodily, watching the others work on the computer. Robin had gone back to his room. Beast Boy rubbed the bruise on his cheek absent-mindedly.

"I don't like how he's keeping secrets," he said finally, "do you realize that we've never seen his face?"

Beast Boy didn't even need to name him. He wasn't resentful that Robin had accidentally attacked him—the Tower was being invaded after all—but he didn't like the idea of secrets. It seemed as though this problem with the dust seemed to have stemmed from Robin's mysterious past. Cyborg turned around first.

"The dude was raised by Batman," he said, "unlike us he actually has a secret identity."

"Well, yeah," Raven said, "it's not like any of us can really hide who we are."

Beast Boy looked around at his team members. Well, he guessed that was true.

"But…I don't know," Beast Boy replied, leaning back on the couch. "I used to idolize him, you know. Back when I worked with the Doom Patrol."

It was true. Robin was one of the first—and probably the most popular—sidekicks ever. Beast Boy had been envious of how Batman and Robin solved crime together while Mento held him back because of his youth. It seemed unfair to him at the time that Robin got to do so much, especially alongside Gotham's Dark Knight.

But Robin was his friend now, and Beast Boy didn't harbor any of those feelings anymore now that he had gotten to know Robin better.

"People keep secrets for a reason," Raven said. "Maybe Robin didn't want to scare us with stories of his time with Slade."

"Scare us?" Beast Boy echoed. "Wh-"

"You know better than any of us in this room what Slade is capable of," Starfire said. "You know what he did to Terra."

"Yeah, do you think Slade was any nicer to Robin?" Cyborg asked. "He was probably harder on him than Terra."

An image of Terra's body twisting in pain flashed through his mind. Slade controlled her, physically forced her to fight for him. Even though Beast Boy was angry from her betrayal as he stormed into Slade's lair it still hurt him to see her like that.

"Slade didn't control him like Terra."

"Slade didn't need to," Raven said. "He used a different kind of control."

"Please, Beast Boy," Starfire said, "Robin saved all of our lives by putting himself in harm's way. Can you just accept that?"

Beast Boy shrugged. He supposed he would just have to accept it. It was just...perhaps he felt a little hurt that his friend didn't trust him enough to show his face. Beast Boy himself had taken off his mask mere hours after he met the Boy Wonder. The whole point of a team was to trust each other. Robin may have been raised by Batman, but he wasn't the Dark Knight.

 **-R-**

Robin glanced at his watch. All of the preparations were made, the information leaked, and all he had to do now was meet his contact tonight. He had a couple of hours to kill before meeting with his contact. He looked at himself in the mirror as he combed his hair down. Except for the mask covering his eyes, his transformation back to Dick Grayson was nearly complete.

He loved his friends, but he really needed to think alone. Robin figured that to effectively solve the situation with the dust he must look upon it not as Robin the Boy Wonder, former protégée of Batman and leader of the Teen Titans, but as an outsider.

As Richard Grayson.

Dick took off his mask and gazed at his reflection. It was not often that he wandered Jump City in his civilian identity. In fact, living here had only made him more reluctant to see himself as Dick Grayson. He leaned forward and touched the bruise on his face. It was definitely getting better, but he better hide some of it with makeup before going out.

Someone knocked on his door.

"Robin?" It was Starfire's voice. "Robin? May I come in?"

Dick hesitated. He was dressed in civilian cloths—faded jeans, converse, and a tee shirt—and unmasked. He had never shown his face to anyone on the team, not even Starfire.

"You can come in," Dick said finally.

The door slid open. Starfire stepped into the room and paused.

"Rob…in?"

His back was turned to her. He held his mask in his hand where she could clearly see it. If he turned and showed her his true face, what would she think? Would she be disappointed? Elated? Confused? Who would she love more: Robin or Dick Grayson?

Slowly, he put the mask on his face before he turned to face her.

"Robin," she said, "why are you dressed like this?"

"I'm going out," he said. "Tell the others for me."

"Do you wish for…company?"

He shook his head. While he was going out to chill and think he couldn't afford to turn this into a date.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go alone."

 **-R-**

It was odd seeing Jump through the eyes of a civilian.

Dick guessed that it was because he was used to walking around as Robin. He checked his cell phone and found a couple of missed calls from Bruce and Alfred. He put his phone on silent and began to walk down Jump's main street.

No one gave a second glance to the teenage boy slouching his way to the shopping center. It was a Friday afternoon. There were plenty of other teenagers out and about, socializing in groups and shopping. Some girls shot him flirtatious looks and giggled when he looked in their direction.

This was the life he could have.

But did Dick really want this life? Most teenage boys would die to have a life like Robin's: no school, cool hangout, kicking bad guy-butt all day long...but crimefighting would never become his day job. Dick knew that he would eventually have to leave the team to go to college. As the heir to Wayne Enterprises, he would have to learn the nuances of business to help Bruce run the company.

He went to a small diner and sat down at the counter. The television hanging in the corner of the ceiling had the evening news on. The current story on was about how Robin wasn't there to fight Johnny Rancid with the Titans.

"What can I get ya, hon?" the waitress asked, peering down at him.

"Oh…um…I'm not sure…" he mumbled, flipping open the menu. "I guess I'll have a chocolate shake."

Maybe he should have asked Starfire to come with him. His colorful life as a caped crimefighter made life as Richard Grayson seem dull. Here he was alone. Dick leaned on the counter and gazed around at the other costumers.

Since it was only four in the afternoon there weren't very many people in the diner. He wondered if anyone on this end of the States would recognize him as Dick Grayson, legal ward of Bruce Wayne. He hoped no one would recognize him. That was the last thing he wanted now.

He looked at the television screen again. To his surprise, Slade's masked picture showed up on the screen. Since the TV was on low volume he couldn't hear what the news anchor was talking about, but he didn't want to hear it.

 _Robin skidded across the floor and slowed to a stop. His breathing became shallow as the pain overwhelmed him. The metal gears churned above him. Robin pushed himself to his knees and steadied himself, blood dripping from a gash on his cheek. Steam hissed above him as Slade came closer and closer_

 _Slade was in a bad mood._

 _"You have displeased me, my apprentice."_

 _Although he wanted nothing more than to fight back, Robin knew a lost fight when he saw one. Now he fought to stay conscious. The pain was so terrible that he couldn't even remember what he had done to make Slade so angry._

 _"You just can't help yourself, can you, Dick?"_

 _There was nothing Robin could do to hide the surprise in his face. Cold fear washed over him like a bucketful of water. As he scrambled away Slade reached out, grabbed a fistful of hair, and yanked him back. The mercenary's fingers tugged at the edge of his mask._

 _"Slade…don't…"_

 _"Why not?" Slade's tone was mocking. "You are my apprentice. If I want to see your face then I will see your face."_

 _Robin moved as though to wrench away, but Slade lifted the controller. His adam's apple bobbed as he gulped. Slade knew his name. He held the Titans in a death grip. What did it matter now if Slade unmasked him?_

 _Robin said nothing as Slade ripped the mask off of his face._

 _"Your secret identity means nothing now, Richard," Slade said, tossing the mask on the floor. "It can no longer protect you."_

 _Robin's hands balled into fists. A sense of hopelessness overwhelmed him, so overpowering that he was later ashamed. Even if he wanted to leave Slade would never let him. If he couldn't figure a way out of this then perhaps he should just give in. Slade yanked him to his feet. Robin turned his head to look away, his mouth set in a defiant grimace._

 _"Look at me," Slade ordered, his voice hardening. "I said_ look _at me!"_ _  
_

"Hon? You okay?"

A gasp of fright escaped from Dick's mouth as he swung back to reality. The other costumers turned in their seats to look at him. The waitress stood in front of him with his chocolate shake, a concerned expression on her face.

"I…um…" Oh, what the hell? "No."

He wrapped his hands around the cold glass and drew the shake towards him. The icy sweetness caused his teeth to numb as he slurped noisily, his blue eyes cast down to the counter. This was why he wanted to be alone. Dick truly did not want the other Titans to see him at his weakest, his most emotional, especially not during times like these.

That was something Bruce had taught him. Batman didn't know what it meant to give up. Gotham needed Batman. Jump needed the Titans. The Titans needed a strong leader.

The waitress leaned against the counter and studied him through her half-moon glasses. She was an older woman, probably in her early fifties. The same age his mother might be if she was still alive today.

"You're going to give yourself brain freeze," she said, "drinking it that fast."

Dick stopped.

"What's your problem, kid?"

Dick wondered how to word his response without giving too much away. He looked straight into the waitress' face. She was just one of the thousands of people he swore to protect. But without his mask he was just another teenage boy without extraordinary powers.

"When you vote for a leader...or for anyone...what qualities do you look for in a leader?"

The question even surprised him.

"That's deep." She looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, when I cast my vote I look for strength and competence in a leader."

"And what if you have a leader who has been through a lot? Has had...his weakness exploited?"

In a subtle way, he was baring his deepest, darkest emotions to a complete stranger. Weak was exactly how he felt.

"As he long as he continues to fight on I would stand by his side," she replied. "Holding your head high after being defeated re-enforces the fact that you are a strong leader. Everyone has weaknesses, kid. It's a fact of life."

Holding your head high...Dick finished his shake as he thought this over. It was the only option. Everything he did was for the sake of others. Never for himself. Perhaps that was his problem. Back then, with Slade, it hadn't been about his friends. Everything Slade did prior to the apprenticeship was meant to drive him crazy.

Dick glanced up at the television screen again. An ad for a circus coming to town was playing, although he couldn't hear the words. The time and date flashed across the screen. Why, there was a performance tonight.

"Thanks," he said to the waitress. "For everything."

He hopped off of the bar stool and placed some change on the counter, making sure that he gave a healthy tip to the waitress. Dick glanced at his watch. There was enough time.

He was going to stab himself in the heart a little more before getting down to business.

* * *

 **A/N:** I know, I know...no spooky or action here. I love writing Robin retrospecting on his time with Slade, especially with an identity crisis of sorts. Each of the Titans will have his/her time retrospecting in this story. This is sort of the the calm before the storm.

I really enjoyed writing the scene with Beast Boy and the other Titans. Don't you ever wonder what they talk about when Robin isn't there? (Aside from dressing up in his uniforms. :D) Since I'm theorizing that Robin didn't talk much about his time with Slade, what would the others theorize about his identity and his past?

I've also been wanting to write the scene with Starfire walking in on Robin without his mask for a while. I debated having him letting her see his face, but then I decided against it.

So, a funny story: my dad found out that I write fanfiction. He likes to read anything I write. He wanted to read my fanfiction, so I made him watch 3 episodes (Masks, Apprentice 1 and 2) so he would understand the backstory. His first reaction to the part where Slade says "Trigger? There is no trigger. Because there is no detonator" was "oh, another plot to drive Robin crazy!". He is also under the impression that Slade is Batman in disguise. :P

As always, I love reviews.


	6. Circus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** No matter how much I squeeze my Spiderman plushie, Peter Parker will never be mine. Just like the Teen Titans.

**Disclaimer:** No matter how much I squeeze my Spiderman plushie, Peter Parker will never be mine. Just like the Teen Titans.

* * *

"Grayson's their leader because he's the best. Powers augment a person, they don't make 'im."

-Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson), The Judas Contract

* * *

Chapter 5: Circus

 **-R-**

As Dick neared the billowing circus tent he stood still for a moment, closing his eyes as memories of his childhood rushed back to him. He could smell the butter of crackling popcorn and hay that the elephants ate. The sounds of the circus mingled with the noisy crowd. Elephants trumpeted in annoyance as the clowns gossiped over a cup of coffee. Children laughing.

He smiled.

This almost felt like home.

He approached the kiosk outside the entrance to the tent and pulled out his wallet. The cashier leaned forward and peered at him through the grimy window.

"Ticket for one, please," Dick said.

"Only one?"

"Yeah."

The cashier shrugged and gave him his ticket. Dick knew that he must look strange to passerby. There were mostly young families here. No one came to the circus by themselves, especially not teenage boys on a Friday afternoon. He took a seat next to a family of four and settled in, unsure of what he was hoping to see or feel.

He clapped enthusiastically as the lights dimmed, which indicated that the show was about to begin. Dick loved everything about the circus: the theatrics, the cheesy one-liners, the pleasant people…

Clowns danced across the ring and blundered through their act, which initiated bouts of laughter from the crowd. Performers performed death-defying acts with cannons and menacing lions. Even though Dick knew the tricks of the trade he let himself relax a little and enjoy the show. As a performer he hardly ever got the chance to watch the show.

Time whizzed by in a multi-colored blur and only slowed down when the lights flashed towards the ceiling. Three people-a man and two women-dressed in brightly-colored spandex stood on top of a high platform. Despite himself, Dick found himself taking a sharp intake of breath as he watched them wave at the cheering crowd.

The trapeze artists.

This was the act he had been dreading and anticipating the most. As his eyes drifted towards the high bars he was relieved to see a safety net. Perhaps after the death of his parents, which was (to his dismay and annoyance) highly publicized, someone finally had cracked down on enforcing the safety net rule. The safety of the artists was much more important than the entertainment of the crowd.

As they flipped and spun in the air the people around him gasped and cheered them on, which warmed his heart more than anything else. Dick wondered vaguely if he could still perform those tricks. He probably could.

Silent tears fell down his face.

He didn't sob or wail openly like he had done as a child. It wouldn't do for Richard Grayson to make himself a public nuisance. As Robin the Boy Wonder he couldn't afford to cry. But Dick didn't come here to torture himself with horrible memories.

The first lesson Bruce taught him was to never forget.

These weren't just tears of sadness and loss, but tears of melancholy and happiness. He had a happy childhood growing up in the circus. They reminded him of the times he lived with his parents and friends. This place reminded him that he wasn't also just Robin but Richard Grayson, a young man who was trained to be an acrobat from birth.

He remembered those agonizing weeks after his parents died; the utter confusion and loneliness of empty nights in Wayne Manor. Alfred had always been there for him while Bruce spent his nights as the Dark Knight, before Dick became Robin.

 _"Circus brat," Slade's voice snarled, slapping Robin across the face with the back of his hand. "Pay attention, Dick!"_

 _Not here,_ Dick thought, his hands clenching into fists. _Not now._

What was so special about him? Why did Slade target him? Was it to enrage Batman?

Even after Slade's death Robin still pondered over these questions. Those few times he managed to be alone with Slade after the apprenticeship-such as the time he fought him in the underground elevator-only initiated more questions. Even after thinking that particular encounter over _after_ realizing that Terra was working for Slade, Robin still could not puzzle these questions out. There were several extraordinary Metahuman youngsters in Jump City to choose from, but Slade had chosen the only hero _without_ super powers.

Richard Grayson didn't consider himself to be extraordinary.

But once he put that mask over his eyes he ceased to become ordinary. He remembered the public's enthusiastic reaction to Batman's new sidekick, a real "boy wonder" the newspapers called him. People liked him. His flamboyant persona seemed so much friendlier than the dark, brooding bat that haunted Gotham's crime-riddled streets.

A star.

Just like his parents wanted him to be.

He covered his face with a hand in an attempt to control himself as his shoulder shook. People turned in their seats to look at him. Although he tried his best not to make any noise he was sniffling rather loudly.

Was he frightened of Slade? Yes, he was. Only a fool wouldn't be. The man had been a criminal mastermind, a psychopath bent on destruction, and a master of psychology. The nightmares still haunted him. He wondered if Batman felt this way about any of the criminals he fought in Gotham. Unlike the Joker, Slade had been a sophisticated fellow. What infuriated Dick the most was the fact that Slade had used his weakness to entrap him. The days following the blackmail Slade broke down a well-respected young hero's self-confidence, snapping it like a dry twig.

The little boy sitting next to him gazed up at him with wide, concerned eyes. His family leaned other to look at him. Dick forced himself to smile back weakly, tracks of tears still running down his face. He wiped them away with the back of his hand and turned his attention back to the trapeze artists.

 **-C-**

Cyborg sat at the computer and upgraded new security measures to the Towers' security system. Although his face didn't show it, he was pissed that someone managed to break into the Tower. The last time that had happened was when Terra…

He shook his head. Just like the others, Cyborg tried to repress the memories of her betrayal. It hadn't cut to his emotional core like Beast Boy, though it still hurt. But since Terra was dead, he had to put the past behind him and concentrate on their present problems. One, of course, was the dust. The other was the ever-growing presence of Brother Blood, who was probably still pissed about Cyborg's infiltration of the Academy.

Cyborg glanced at the clock.

"It's almost time for dinner. Star, why don't you get Robin while I go put some burgers on the grill?"

He turned to look at the others. Beast Boy was playing a video game and Raven was sitting on the other end of the couch reading a book. Everyone except him was taking a break from this dust madness. Starfire looked up at the sound of her name. His fingers typed in the last encryption code before switching off the computer.

"Robin has…left the Tower," Starfire replied meekly. "He wishes to be alone."  
At this everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.

"What?" Cyborg asked. "After last night he—why didn't you stop him, Star?"

"I am not sure why," she replied, "but he left wearing…what is the term… _normal_ cloths. Not as the Robin I know."

This caught Cyborg even more off guard. As far as he knew, Robin never left the Tower without wearing the cape and the mask. Even when he had been forced to bloody go to the prom with Kitten, he had worn his uniform underneath the tux.

" _What?"_ Beast Boy asked, his voice cracking. "You saw him in his _civilian identity?"_

Beast Boy dropped the controller onto the couch and sprang to his feet, not even bothering to hide his excitement. Starfire shied away from them, obviously uncomfortable. _  
_

"Yes."

"Did you see his face?"

"I…no. No I did not." Her head drooped sadly. "He almost showed me his face before putting the mask back on."

Even Cyborg found himself spellbound by the tale. Even though he respected Robin as a leader he was innately curious about the man underneath the mask, just like Beast Boy was. How could he not be? Of course Robin would only reveal himself to Starfire…but it seemed as though he couldn't go through with it.

"Well, his communicator's offline," he said, checking his own communicator. "I guess we'll just have to eat without him."

"Uh…" Beast Boy said, pointing towards the TV screen. "Someone is calling us."

Cyborg turned back towards the TV screen. Someone _was_ calling them. All the way from Gotham.

"Something tells me I know who it is," Cyborg said as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

Sure enough, Gotham's legendary Dark Knight appeared on screen. Even through the webcam the man appeared intimidating, even frightening. Cyborg had never seen Batman before. Heard of him, yes, but he figured he wasn't a big enough hero to meet the legend.

"Where's Robin?" Batman asked in a low growl. "I need to talk to him."

"Uh…Robin's not here," Cyborg said. "He left the Tower."

"He le—damn that boy!" Batman muttered.

Hmm. Cyborg could definitely see why Robin always seemed so edgy. But at least Robin tried to have fun sometimes. Batman's perpetual frown betrayed his silent intensity. No wonder Robin never liked to talk about him. He seemed so...grumpy.

"He's been avoiding me all afternoon," Batman growled. "What happened after the power outage?"

Well, now, there was an interesting topic.

 **-R-**

Showtime.

Dick reluctantly left the circus tent amidst the crowd of milling people. His time as Dick Grayson was almost up. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to get rid of the dried tears still encrusted at the corners of his eyes. For once he was grateful that he had a civilian identity that he could slip into when he needed to.

He walked to a nearby gas station, made sure no one was following or watching him, and then went into a bathroom to change. He had considered a phone booth, but they were so outdated that none were around anymore.

Clark would be proud.

This transformation was much smoother since he had an appointment to make, but he paused before placing the mask back on his face. A young man barely old enough to drive looked back at him. His calm blue eyes were puffy and red. He looked like a weak, emotional, teenager. Or someone suffering from drug withdrawals. He put the mask back on his face.

He ran a gloved hand through his neatly-combed hair to mess it up.

 _Five minutes later..._

Robin stood on the rooftop and waited, his black-and-gold cape billowing in the slight wind. There was a possibility that his contact didn't get the message in time or that it was sent to the wrong person. But he was fairly certain that he would show up.

"Well, well, I hear you have a proposal for me, kid."

Robin turned and saw Red X sitting nonchalantly on top of a wooden box. The memories of their last encounter—which had only been a couple weeks ago—were still fresh on his mind. He didn't know quite what to think of Red X. Although wily enough to steal the suit from right under Robin's nose X was just plain selfish, not psychotic. From the inside of his utility belt Robin pulled the belt from Red X's costume. He saw the villain stir in impatience, as though he was contemplating just taking the belt away by force.

"I'll give this back to you in exchange for information."

"What kind of information?"

Hmp. Robin wondered if this was a bad decision. X wasn't exactly a saint, but he was the only villain he could half-way trust.

And he doubted even that.

"What do you know about Slade?"

"Slade?" X sounded surprised. "Isn't he dead?"

Robin pursed his lips in annoyance.

"Yeah, but he's open again for investigation. First of all, what do you think of him? What did other villains in the Jump underground think of him?"

X studied him for a moment, as though considering whether it would be worth it to talk.

"Aside from dead, he was the biggest villain around Jump in his heyday. Even before I stole this fantastic suit of yours, I've heard things about him. He caused the Justice League a lot trouble in Gotham and Metropolis before coming here, supposedly on a contract."

"A contract?"

"We didn't mess with Slade because he was a mercenary. That man has _killed_ people. Now me, I'm just a thief looking out for numero uno."

Red X turned his head towards the belt in Robin's hand. Almost at once Robin backed away, putting the belt behind his back. So, Slade had killed people. That didn't surprised Robin in the slightest. Red X's shoulders slouched as he snorted.

"Come on, kid, what else do you want?"

"Someone's attacking the Titans," Robin said. "You helped me save them once. If you cared at all—"

"Even the cutie?"

The comment caught him off guard. At first he was confused, but then he remembered how X had flirted with Star. A faint blush colored his pale cheeks.

"Her name is Starfire," Robin growled. "And if my theory is correct, then yes she is."

For once X stayed silent as he considered Robin. For the hundredth time he wished that he knew who was under the mask. It annoyed more than irritated him that he couldn't figure out how X stole his suit. The villain stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What else do you want to know?"

Robin breathed again. "What about the HIVE Academy?"

"Aside from crashing the Sadie Hawkins dance, I don't care what those idiots think. The graduates think they can all become bigshot villains like Brother Blood and—"

"I'm not asking for your opinion about the HIVE," Robin growled. "Cut the crap, X. What do you know?"

"Why do you need to know?" X asked suddenly. "Slade's dead. Why does it matter now?"

Robin hesitated, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. As far as he knew, very few people outside of the Titans knew about his brief…employment…as Slade's apprentice. Slade wasn't one to gossip about such things over coffee with other villains, but Robin was sure that the rumor would have spread anyway. But he didn't want to be blunt with X.

"I have my reasons."

He would ask X later if there _were_ rumors about him as Slade's apprentice.

"When will I get that back?" Red X asked, pointing towards the belt.

"When you've picked up something helpful."

"Well, that's vague." Red X took a step closer. "What's going on with the Titans, kid?"

Robin stood his ground. Even if Red X was willing to help them there would be no telling what X would do with the information. Red X could turn on him tomorrow and sell information to the highest bidder, or spread nasty rumors to the HIVE Academy that the Titans were breaking down from the inside out.

"Ask about dust."

There. That was as close to the truth as he could get.

"I'm also looking for someone," Robin said. "If you can find him I'll throw in some Xynothium along with the belt."

Red X's head perked up in interest. "Who?"

"His name is Wintergreen. Think you can handle it?"

"Easy as pie."

Robin watched Red X leap across the rooftops. Would Robin ever bring this man to justice? Perhaps. In a way, Red X sort of reminded him of Catwoman. The only difference was that Robin wouldn't get...personally involved...with the criminal. As soon as he turned on his communicator he saw that Cyborg was calling him.

"What's up?" Robin asked.

" _What's up?"_ Cyborg exclaimed. "You better get your butt back here! Batman's chewing us out a—"

He switched off his communicator. So, it seemed as though Bruce got tired of waiting for him to call back. Now that the Titans were awaiting his return, he supposed that he better go back to the Tower.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm finding all of these nice quotes to use! I used my Barnes and Nobles gift card and bought some comic books. So happy!

I found this chapter to be a little challenging to write, especially the circus part. So...much...ANGST! I love it. This was also written to solve a problem I found within the series: how Red X got his belt back. Also, is it just me or did you guys also wonder what went on between Slade and Robin in the elevator fight in "Titan Rising"? Seriously, I bet there was an entire conversation that we never got to hear.

I promise that the plot will pick up soon. But really, all of this retrospecting does have a point for future events later in the story.

Reviews appreciated.


	7. Meetings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** *Looks around* Oh, I guess I don't have a plaque on my wall saying that I own DC Comics...but I should probably clean my room.

**Disclaimer:** *Looks around* Oh, I guess I don't have a plaque on my wall saying that I own DC Comics...but I should probably clean my room.

* * *

"It may sound absurd,

but don't be naive.

Even heroes have the right to bleed.

I may be disturbed

but won't you concede:

even heroes have the right to dream.

And it's not easy to be me."

-Five For Fighting. "Superman (It's Not Easy)"

* * *

Chapter 6: Meetings

 **-R-**

He was not looking forward to this.

Instead of crawling back through his bedroom window he went in through the Tower's front doors. Even this far away from the common room he could hear Batman's booming voice lecturing the Titans. However, he was too far away to make out their words. He stopped halfway in the entry hall to listen, trying to mentally prepare himself before plunging into the fire.

 _You're going to have to talk to him sooner or later,_ Robin thought. _Just get it over with._

As Robin walked into the common room the other Titans backed away from the television screen and fell into silence. They watched him with wide eyes, wondering what sort of chaos would ensue. His posture subconsciously straightened as he neared the screen. Batman's looming face stared back at him in obvious disapproval.

"Where were you?"

"Out."

A frown nearly identical to Batman's crossed Robin's face. The man lived on the other end of the United States! Why should he care now about where he went or what he did? He didn't have to ask to know that Batman was pissed that Robin didn't answer his calls. It also irritated him that Bruce _never_ called for pleasant conversation, but called for emergencies like this. The Batman emitted a low growl from deep in his throat.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"There was something I had to do."

Robin held up the ticket stub from the circus. The others didn't know his past. It would mean nothing to them, but he knew that Bruce would understand. Batman's eyes flickered from the ticket stub back to Robin's face.

"Still, it was stupid of you to leave the Tower by yourself. You're smarter than that."

None of the others dared to speak. This was exactly the kind of confrontation he wanted to avoid. This was why he called Wayne Manor while the others were out. The tension between them was palpable, like a brewing electrical storm. He felt as though he was preparing for a Mexican standoff. Robin began to grind his teeth.

"I don't need you telling me what to do."

They glared at each other through the webcam.

"I'm merely giving you advice. You can take it or leave it."

Judging from his tone of voice, Robin suspected that Batman expected him to take it.

"I sent you Crane's files," Batman said. "Even though I don't think that they will help you."

"Fine."

It was about time. Robin was almost afraid that Bruce-as angry as he was about the situation with the dust-would declare that he would come to Jump himself.

"Tomorrow I'd like you to send me a sample of the dust from the mask, just to see if it _did_ originate from Scarecrow," Batman said. "Flash will stop by to pick it up in the morning."

"What?" For a moment Robin thought that he had misheard. "We don't need the League's help."

 _"Yes, you do!"_ Batman growled. "You know that when one of us is attacked, then it affects _all_ of us."

All of them. Not just the Titans, but all of the Metahumans across the globe. The bigshot heroes in Metropolis, Central City, Gotham, Opal City, Star City….everyone.

"I think it's a good idea," Cyborg said, "It would be good to double check. My scanners can't pick up everything."

Although Robin didn't want to admit it, it _was_ a good idea. But for crying out loud, he had grown up with the League's most prominent members. True, he did love Clark as an uncle and knew some of the others pretty well, but still...

"Fine," he said. "We'll have it ready by tomorrow morning."

Almost at once he turned his back to Batman and began to walk back to his room. Bruce, however, wasn't finished talking.

"And Robin…."

"What?"

"Be safe."

 **-Rae-**

Raven could sense Robin's simmering anger as he stomped back to his room. As he passed her she felt a tidal wave of wildly different emotions wash over her. She saw more images of Slade, but also pictures of Bruce Wayne, his parents, and a circus. But above all she felt a great and terrible sadness emanating from deep within him.

He had been crying.

"Both of them are nuts," Beast Boy said. "They fight like a married couple. Figures, since both of them are from Go—"

Beast Boy's comment was cut-of by a sharp rap to the head. There was a time and place for his annoying jokes, but Beast Boy never seemed to have the mental capacity to discern when to keep his mouth shut.

"Shut up," she said, her voice hard. "Robin's problems are just as bad as yours, Beast Boy."

Ignoring Beast Boy's spluttering reply, Raven pulled her hood over her head and drifted down the hallway. She could sense Beast Boy's own angst over Terra's death, but Robin was the one who needed help the most now. It was harder for her to relate to Beast Boy, who annoyed her most of the time.

Raven went up to his bedroom door and knocked.

"It's Raven."

She heard him moving about. A mental image of Robin scrambling to put his mask back on came to her mind. She stepped back as Robin opened the door just a crack.

"What is it?"

"May I come inside?"

After a moment's hesitation he stepped aside and let her in. Unlike his office, the walls of which were covered with newspaper clippings, his bedroom looked more…welcoming. But there were no personal effects in the room other than a bookshelf. Despite what Robin said about the Tower being his home, she knew that his true home was not the Tower but Wayne Manor. Raven knew better than to discuss his past with him. Mostly because he was under the impression that no one knew who he was and also because she didn't want to think about hers.

"You were crying."

Robin did not bother to hide the surprise in his face. Even with a mask on, his face showed a wide variety of emotions. He turned his head to the side, as though frightened to admit that he _had_ been crying. When he responded his voice sounded faint and distant.

"It's just…it's been a hard day for me."

"It's been for all of us." She gazed at him with her violet-colored eyes. "Is there anything you want to talk about?"

She knew that there were several things he probably wanted to talk about, but she was going to let him talk about them first. Robin's shoulders slumped in defeat.

"I went to the circus," he admitted. "On a pure whim."

Raven sat down beside him. She hated seeing her friends in emotional agony like this and truly wanted to help Robin heal from his haunted past. Of course, she didn't know much about the other Titans' pasts, but she herself had experiences that would put the others' to shame. Her sixteenth birthday was less than a year away...the most she could do for the others was make sure that they were happy. Happy before that dreaded day arrived. One of her hands rested upon his shoulder.

"Who were those people falling from the trapezes?"

She asked cautiously, unsure of what his reaction would be. Even though she saw his memories she did not know the backstory behind them. He fell silent for a long time.

"People I love."

He wasn't going to talk anymore. Raven nodded silently and stood up. It was getting late. They should _all_ be getting some sleep. God knows Robin didn't get enough the night before.

"Good night, Robin."

"'Night."

* * *

 **A/N:** I like how Raven's POV came out. I'm more pleased with it than the first part with Robin's POV. And honestly, I can't wait to write the next chapter.

To everwild34 (and to everyone else as well, I guess): the chapters come out fast because I honestly have nothing better to do with my time. My work schedule is erratic, so I have lots of free time. I'm also so used to writing original fiction (which is actually grueling but pleasant work) that fanfiction comes a lot easier to me, since I'm writing in an already-established universe. And college has taught me to write fast, efficiently, and correctly. So the next chapter will hopefully be up soon.

As always, please review.


	8. Grief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I baked an apple pie today, but I didn't buy the copyrights to DC Comics.

**Disclaimer:** I baked an apple pie today, but I didn't buy the copyrights to DC Comics.

* * *

"There are five basic human emotions.

The third is grief. Grief, which at times feels so much like fear.

Grief, which when it comes, it's been said does not come in single spies-but in battalions."

Hush, Batman: Hush Returns.

* * *

Chapter 7: Grief

 **-R-**

Robin waited.

Early the next morning Robin stood in the common room and stared out of the window overlooking the city. Any second now Barry would come streaking through Jump City, a red and yellow blur almost too fast for eyes to see.

The fastest man in the world.

"Flash said he would stop by at around eight," Cyborg said.

"He's always five minutes late." Robin crossed his arms over his chest. "And don't ask why."

Both Barry _and_ Wally were always five minutes late. Now _that_ was a mystery even the Dark Knight couldn't solve.

"Is Beast Boy still asleep?" he asked.

"No," Starfire replied. "He has gone to visit Terra's tomb."

Poor guy. Robin decided against calling him back to the Tower. After his own reverie the day before he should give Beast Boy some slack. Sometimes it was good to have some time alone.

"When did he leave?"

"About thirty minutes ago," Raven said. "He should be back within the hour."

"Give him all the time he needs."

He didn't look at Raven as he said this. He surprised himself last night by admitting that he went to the circus, and also felt bad for shutting down in front of her. Robin knew that she was just trying to help him, but he wasn't ready to talk to anyone.

"Robin," Starfire said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Why do you wear a mask?"

Out of the corners of his eye he saw Cyborg's head perk up in interest. Robin turned to look at her. So, she was still thinking about their meeting last night. Her wide, green eyes gazed at him imploringly, as though trying to see the face behind the mask. Maybe if she was Kryptonian she could. He tugged at the collar of his uniform. Was it just him, or did it feel hot in here?

"Is it because you think you are ugly?"

"No-"

"Is it because you believe I will not find it pleasant to look upon your visage?"

Why did she _always_ make him feel so uncomfortable?

"Starfire...I..." he sighed. "It's more complicated than it lo-"

"What's up, Titans?"

Everyone jumped in surprise as Flash skidded to a halt in the common room. Flash leaned against the kitchen counter, a wide mischievous grin spread across his face.

"Flash," Robin said, relieved at the interruption, stepping forward to shake Flash's hand. "It's good to see you."

"You too, shortpants." Barry winked. "Just kidding, you don't wear shortpants anymore."

Oh, those scaly underoos…he just had to mention them, didn't he? A poor fashion choice on Bruce's part. Robin found himself smiling ruefully back.

"I'm glad I don't wear them anymore. Or the elf boots."

"Robin, what are 'shortpants'?" Starfire asked.

"Um…"

The others erupted in laughter. Good thing Beast Boy wasn't here. He would have cracked a bad joke about those scaly bikini briefs. Some of the bottled-up angst inside of Robin dissipated as they laughed over his old costume.

"So, these are the Titans?" Flash said, shaking the hand of the others. "It's good to meet you all."

"Yes, it is most pleasing to meet The Flash," Starfire replied. "I am Starfire of Tamaran."

Flash winched at her strong handshake. "Nice to meet ya."

Quick introductions were made with Beast Boy mentioned in passing. Even though Robin knew Beast Boy would love to meet a member of the Justice League, he didn't want to pull him away from his time with Terra. That was more important.

"So I'm just here to pick up the dust and drop it off in Gotham," Flash said. "Let's try to make this quick, okay? I'm needed back in Metropolis." Then he spoke in a lowered undertone. "Robin, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Yeah, hold on." Robin turned to Cyborg. "Cyborg, can you get a sample of the dust?"

"Sure thing, man."

Cyborg put on a dust-mask and gloves before going downstairs, just a precaution to protect him from the hallucinogenic effects of the dust. After glancing around at the others Robin gestured for Flash to follow him into the hallway, where they could talk privately.

"Hey Barry," Robin muttered under his breath. "How's Central City these days?"

"Fine, and so is Wally." Barry gazed down at Robin with his bright blue eyes. "How are you, Dick? I heard about the dust."

"It wouldn't surprise me if the entire League knows already."

The thought of all the adults knowing just irritated Robin even more. Barry put a comforting hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"Look, I'm not just here to collect the dust. I know you'd rather talk to Clark or Alfred, but Bruce is worried about you." Barry's voice lowered. "He wants to know what happened when you were Deathstroke's apprentice."

Robin took an involuntary step back as a momentary of anxiety crossed his face. So the Justice League _did_ know. Barry put his hands on his hips and sighed deeply.

"Dick, why are you so afraid of telling us?"

Robin didn't have an answer. What _was_ he afraid of? Slade was dead; the apprenticeship was far behind him now. He realized that he was afraid of what the JLA members thought of him. Would they think him weak?

"I already told Alfred everything," he said finally. "Bruce doesn't need to know anything more. It happened. It's done. Slade's dead."

"We know he's dead. Everyone heard about Tara Markov's betrayal."

Tara Markov. Terra. Very few people knew her real name. Robin shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable. Where _was_ Cyborg with the dust sample?

"Look, Barry, I don't want to talk about this right now."

"I know I can't make you talk," Barry replied. "But Bruce is your _father._ You're his son. He cares about you. He doesn't want to talk about it with Alfred. He wants to talk about it with _you."_

Robin fell into an uneasy silence. He could tell that Flash felt uncomfortable playing the middle man, but the older man held his ground. Robin understood Bruce's reasoning, but talking about the apprenticeship with Bruce was like having a tooth pulled without anesthesia. It hurt _that_ much.

"And when you don't talk about what happened," Flash said, crossing his arms over his chest, "then we automatically assume the worst."

Robin was taken aback by this ominous statement, but did not have time to respond. The doorway leading to the hallway slid open.

"Uh, Robin," Cyborg said, taking off his face mask. "Did you move Slade's evidence box?"

Confusion muddled Robin's mind. Why on earth would he touch the box after the incident with the dust?

"No, I didn't touch it."

"Well, I can't find diddly." Cyborg shrugged. "It's not down there."

"Look again, it should be down the—" Robin paused, the eyes behind his mask widening in astonishment. "Oh damn."

Suddenly it all made sense. Perfect, sick, sense. Cold fear washed over him as the events of the past few days clicked together in his mind.

"What?" Cyborg asked.

"The intruder did _exactly_ what he meant to do," Robin said, his heart racing as he ran towards the evidence room. "We've been robbed."

The others followed him into the evidence room. At a first glance it seemed as though nothing was missing. Everything seemed to be in place, but the box full of Slade's stuff in the basement was missing. He ran over a quick list of what was in the box: Slade's mask, parts of Sladebots, newspaper clippings…his old apprentice uniform…

"Titans, search the Tower _now!"_ he snapped. "Look for anything missing in your rooms. I'll contact Beast Boy."

"Should I—" Flash began, but was cut-off by the buzzing of his Justice League signal device. "Yeah, Supes?"

"What are you still doing in Jump?" Superman asked. "We need you here in Metropolis!"

Before Flash could answer Robin barked a reply. "Tell Batman that there's been a change of plans. The dust will have to wait."

 **-BB-**

"Hey Terra," Beast Boy said, his voice echoing in the lonely tomb. "Sorry about yesterday."

It felt odd for him to speak out loud, but it was comforting all the same. He liked to imagine that her spirit was still alive.

"There's something we're trying to figure out…maybe you knew about it before you…well…were turned into stone."

He cradled a bouquet of flowers in his arms. By now the florist knew who he was and kept a bouquet ready for him. About once a week Beast Boy came down here to pay his respects and to bring a little color to Terra's gray world. Beast Boy didn't expect anyone else to be down here; hardly anyone was here these days. He knew that not many people liked Terra because of the betrayal, but Beast Boy knew her better than anyone else.

She was one of the best friends he ever had.

Beast Boy felt as though she was a better friend than anyone on the Doom Patrol. He loved them as a family, but life as a junior member of the Doom Patrol didn't allow him much of a childhood. He loved life as a Teen Titan and loved his friends. Even Raven, whom he thought could be _way_ creepy at times.

Terra was different. So yeah he liked hanging out with Cy and playing video games. Yeah he liked hanging out with the boy wonder and Starfire. He enjoyed annoying Raven. But Terra was…she was beautiful. Gifted. A true friend. She was the only one who would listen to his stories about life in the Doom Patrol and his hilarious jokes.

But above all, she chose him. Although Beast Boy was fairly confident with his good looks and charms it was Robin who always got the girls' attention. Perhaps it was because of his mysterious demeanor brought on by the mask. Or maybe the fact that he used to work with Batman. Yeah, that was probably it. Who _wouldn't_ want to hang out with Robin, the Boy Wonder? No one really knows the Doom Patrol anyway. She could have knocked Starfire out of the way and hooked up with Robin, but Terra chose him: Garfield Logan, ex-member of the Doom Patrol.

"Terra, did I ever tell you how much I love you?" he asked. "I wish Slade never interrupted that kiss on the ferris wheel."

Slade.

His mood darkened at the thought of Slade. It was all his fault that Terra turned. But even he couldn't completely turn her evil. Even when she betrayed the Titans she had taken him aside to save him. Or at least try to.

Did she know Wintergreen? What was life like with Slade? Why did she turn to Slade even after meeting the Titans? These questions still puzzled him, but they didn't matter anymore. At the end of her life she had shown her true colors: not as a villain, but as a Teen Titan. Beast Boy filled his mind with pleasant memories of their time together as he neared the statue.

But as he stepped into the main chamber, he froze.

The bouquet fell to the floor. Bits of flower petals fell off the roses. Beast Boy felt his jaw slide open. He stood there, the shock of what he saw throwing him into a near-catatonic state.

"No…" he walked up to her statue. "No…no…no...no… _NO!"_

He didn't know whether to cry or scream in frustration. Someone had strung several rolls of toilet paper over her stone body. Beast Boy ripped it off of her and found that someone had spray-painted obscene words on the stone. The plaque he had placed during her memorial service now read in blue spray-paint: TRAITOR BITCH.

The area around her statue was littered with garbage and the remnants of shaving cream cans. More hateful words were spray-painted on the walls. They said awful things about Terra that Beast Boy knew were not true. Whoever wrote them obviously held a low opinion of the deceased Titan, for the walls said things like "Slade's whore" and "spy." He was so emotionally numb with shock that at first he didn't understand.

"T-Terra…"

Beast Boy collapsed to his knees and tried to rub away the hurtful words. Tears welled in his eyes as he wiped at the plaque furiously.

Who could have done this? _Why_ would anyone do this?

He placed his hands on the boulder where she stood and knocked his forehead lightly against the cool stone, fighting back tears. His shoulders shook uncontrollably.

"Beast Boy! Come in, Beast Boy!" Robin's voice. "We need you back at the Tower now!"

Beast Boy barely heard Robin's voice shout at him through the communicator. He forced himself to his feet as his hands curled into fists. Something deep within him snapped his usually pleasant demeanor. Uncharacteristic rage filled every pore of his body.

Someone had vandalized Terra's tomb.

Something had to be done.

His communicator fell to the ground as he morphed into a gorilla. He cracked his knuckles and snorted derisively. Whoever did this was going to pay. With a furious roar he turned and galumphed back up the tunnel to the surface. Robin's hoarse voice cried out to him through the fallen communicator.

 _"BEAST BOY!"_

 **End of Part 1**

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh snap!

Poor Beast Boy.

Okay, I admit that I stole the "five minutes late" joke from Rena Redhead. I'm sorry, Rena, I still love you! And I couldn't help throwing in a joke about Robin's scaly underpants from his first costume.

The words in Terra's tomb do not reflect my own views about Terra. But considering Slade and Terra's relationship in the comics, the comment about her being Slade's whore is actually not too far from the truth...

If we assume that Kid Flash is Wally West, then Flash is most likely Barry Allen. I'm not very familiar with the Flashes' histories, so correct me if I am wrong.

Reviews appreciated.


	9. Dust Chapter 8:Friends, Pt 2 The Beast Within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Today, I realized that I do not own Teen Titans or DC Comics. FML.

**Disclaimer:** Today, I realized that I do not own Teen Titans or DC Comics. FML.

* * *

Part 2: The Beast Within, The Changeling's Tale

Chapter 8: Friends

 **-R-**

Robin listened intently for a reply, but Beast Boy did not answer. He lifted his thumb off of the call button and heard hissing static. What the hell was going on? Why wouldn't Beast Boy answer? It wasn't like him at all to not answer his communicator.

"Flash, can you s—"

"Already on it."

With a gush of wind Flash sped out of the Tower. Within seconds he reappeared.

"Beast Boy's not there. But take a look at this." He held out a strand of toilet paper. "Someone vandalized Terra's tomb."

Gasps of astonishment rose from the other Titans. At once Robin understood what had happened. Beast Boy found her and was probably rampaging across town.

"Who could have done such a terrible thing?" Starfire asked, putting a hand to her mouth.

He looked at the others and wondered what to do.

One part of him wanted them to search the Tower while the other wanted to track down Beast Boy. Robin knew that there were plenty of people who could have done it. Petty vandals. Terra haters. After all, the press hadn't taken too kindly on him and the Titans after Terra's betrayal. He turned to the fastest man in the world.

"I'm sorry, Flash, but can you help us track him down?"

Flash glanced at his Justice League communicator. Although Robin was confident that the Titans could track down Beast Boy, it would go down faster if Flash helped. It almost killed him having to ask Flash for help, but neither of these could wait.

 _"Flash!"_ Batman's voice growled across the Justice League communicator. "What the hell is going on?"

"Batman, we're fine," Robin said, snatching the communicator from Flash's hand. "Flash is ju—"

Flash took the communicator back. "There's been some…complications."

Robin waited for Batman's answer with baited breath. He could sure use Flash's help, but if he was really needed in Metropolis…

"What do you mean by that?"

"Slade's mask was stolen from the Tower," Flash said, "I can't give you a dust sample."

Batman didn't reply right away. Robin looked up at the older superhero.

"Flash? Will you help?"

"I—"

Blaring sirens filled the air as red lights flashed. Raven reacted first. She ran to the computer to see what the emergency was.

"The HIVE is attacking the south side of town," she said. "There's a massive break-in at a weapons factory."

Robin felt like hitting his head against the wall in pure frustration. Of course, all of these things just _had_ to happen all at once _and_ in the presence of a Justice League member. He felt stupid. He felt incompetent. The others, including Flash, waited for his orders.

"We're going to find Beast Boy," Robin said.

"But the HIVE—" Cyborg began.

"I know. We'll just have to finish this fast."

His conscience nagged at him. If Bruce was here he would head immediately for the HIVE, which was what Robin wanted to do now.

And the HIVE really couldn't wait, especially not after their…semi-successful infiltration of the Academy. Robin furrowed his brow in deep concentration. Could the HIVE be behind the dust? After all, Slade had done business with the HIVE before.

Raven levitated into the air, crossed her legs Indian-style, closed her eyes and muttered an incantation. Her soul-self rose into the air and phased through the roof like a dark of the Angel of death. Robin couldn't help but shiver as a gust of cold air billowed out in great waves.

"Spooky," Flash said. "What's she doing?"

"Finding Beast Boy."

It seemed an eternity before the dark soul reunited with its mistress. Raven opened her eyes.

"He's in the east end of the city heading towards the carnival."

"Split up," Robin said. "Flash, Starfire, Cyborg, you three go after the HIVE agents. Raven and I will track down Beast Boy."

Raven shot Robin a cold look. "Do I really have to help find Beast Boy?"

"His communicator is offline and at Terra's tomb. You can help me find him."

"Fine."

She did not sound happy about it. Truth be told, Robin didn't feel happy about it either. He was fairly confident that the HIVE trio could be taken down easily without him and Raven, but he didn't like any of this.

Not one bit.

 **-BB-**

Red filled his vision.

People careened out of his way as Beast Boy leapt forward, his jowls practically frothing with uncontrollable anger. The first criminal to cross his path would regret it.

He had no plan of action.

He didn't care if he had a plan. Right now he wanted to beat someone—anyone—to a bloody pulp. If he could bring Slade back from the dead Beast Boy would do so gladly—and then put him back in the grave. Beast Boy transformed into a cheetah to pick up his speed. He wanted nothing more than to run. Run away from the pain and the memories. Run away from his friends, just like he walked away from Terra after learning of her betrayal.

 _"Whoa! Yeah Terra!"_

 _Terra blushed happily as she leapt off from her rock. It thumped to the ground a few seconds later, spraying clods of dirt everywhere. The young earth-mover stood awkwardly in front of them and rubbed the back of her neck._

 _"Wonderful!" Starfire exclaimed, bouncing up and down in excitement. "It is most glorious to see you improve!"_

 _Beast Boy beamed. Even after a few days with the Titans Terra's skills had improved considerably. Not that she wasn't good before. She was just better now. He held up a newspaper with the headline:_   
**The Sixth Titan!**

 _"Look, Terra, people already like you."_

Run.

 _"—And that's how I saved the Doom Patrol from the Brotherhood of Evil," Beast Boy said, a grin spreading across his face. "Pretty cool, huh?"_

 _They were sitting outside on the rocky foundation of Titans' Tower to watch the sunset. Like they always did in the afternoons, Terra and Beast Boy chatted while they practiced skipping rocks across the calm ocean. He liked the way the sun cast a reddish sheen on her golden blond hair. It caused her whole head to glow like an angel._

 _He waited expectantly for an answer like an overexcited child. What did she think of that story? He had tried to make himself sound heroic even though he knew that he hadn't been all too heroic as a member of the Doom Patrol._

 _"Yeah." She leaned back on the boulder. "The Doom Patrol seems cool. Why did you leave?"_

 _Beast Boy felt his smile falter slightly. Even though he loved to talk about his supposed "glory days" in the Doom Patrol he never really talked about why he left. He sat beside her._

 _"Family issues," he said simply. "The same reason why Robin left the Bat, I guess."_

 _"I've been to Gotham once or twice," she replied. "Not a nice place."_

 _Her voice trailed away. She was uninterested in the subject of the boy wonder, a complete rarity compared to other girls her age. All the newspapers ever talked about was Robin this and Robin that._

 _"I'm glad you left the Doom Patrol, though," Terra said, her voice brightening. "If you hadn't joined the Titans, then I would have never met you."_

 _He felt as though he would melt from pure joy…_

Run.

His paws swept across the hot pavement as he zipped through the milling crowds. Calories of energy released itself in bursts as he ran through Jump City in a terrible rage. He ran past the video game store where Control Freak lay siege to the movies, ran past the bank where Terra stopped Mumbo, and the bridge where Killer Moth's monstrosities chewed away at the steel cables.

" _Beast Boy," Terra said, a little hesitantly. "If you knew something bad about me, would you still be my friend?"_

 _Beast Boy turned to look at her, a little surprised. What did she mean by that?_

 _"Of course, Terra. Why wouldn't I be?"_

Run!

 **-S-**

Starfire felt like crying herself.

Her own distress over Terra's tomb almost incapacitated her flying abilities, but she forced herself to continue on. Starfire consoled herself by affirming that they would find the perpetrator of this atrocity.

There were too many things happening at once. All of this uncertainty made her uneasy, and not just concerning Terra. The dust, for instance, and Robin. She never once asked Robin to take off his mask and never questioned about his identity. Starfire didn't even know about his relationship with the Batman until Beast Boy (in one of his strange and so-called "fanboy moments") told her about it. She never questioned about his past because he never asked about hers, of course until they had to visit Tamaran for that botched wedding. But his recent actions demonstrated otherwise.

Last night she had been so sure that he would show her his true face. But why was she worried so much about it? Starfire was so used to seeing him with his mask on that it shouldn't even matter. It was just that…just that he seemed to want to. Robin had allowed her to see him in his civilian identity, even if he couldn't make himself show his face.

She flew alongside the fastest man in the world and fought to keep up with him. Even though she knew how to fly faster than the speed of light she had to admire the Flash. Cyborg zoomed along a little ways behind in the T-car.

"From the looks of things the HIVE agents have broken into a weapons factory," Cyborg said through the communicator.

"What are they after?" Flash asked.

"Not sure. I left the Academy before I managed to figure out what exactly they were up to."

As they approached the factory Starfire could tell that someone had broken into the warehouse. With a loud _screech_ the T-Car slid to a stop just feet from Starfire and Flash. Without waiting for a say-so from the others, Cyborg aimed his sonic cannon directly at the double doors. With a loud _boom_ he blasted away the doors. The Flash winched slightly at the loud noise.

"Subtle, guys," Flash said. "I'll be in the back."

"Hey, what—" Cyborg trailed off as Flash ran off. "Hmp."

Starfire and Cyborg walked into the warehouse together. She could hear the echoing voices of the three HIVE graduates rise. There was no doubt in her mind that they had heard the explosion and would come to investigate.

"Only _two_ of the snotty Titans?" Gizmo asked, his annoying voice hardening into a gloating sneer. "This must be our lucky day."

"And look," Jinx said, pointing towards Cyborg, "the teacher's pet."

Out of the corner of her eye Starfire saw Cyborg grimace. Although Cyborg told them much of his time at the HIVE Academy there were things he did not wish to talk about. He shrugged.

"Hey, _you're_ the one who asked me to the Sadie Hawkins dance."

This took the sorceress by surprise. A faint shade of pink suffused her pale cheeks.

"I didn't invite _you,"_ she snarled, flinging out a flippant hand towards them. "I invited _Stone."_

The ground underneath Cyborg trembled as powerful pink shockwaves zipped through the concrete. Being able to fly, Starfire easily avoided this attack as Cyborg stumbled. She flew to his side and steadied the mechanical man. They looked at each other and nodded.

A storm of starbolts ravaged the air as Starfire moved in to attack. Cyborg of course went to do battle with Mammoth. Starfire wondered where the Flash was. They could really use his help now.

"Stupid of bird-brain to send only _two_ of you snot-eaten losers," Gizmo said.

"Yeah, it's rather insulting," Jinx cut-in. "But I suppose it just makes our job easier."

A red streak whizzed by them.

 _"What?"_ Gizmo spluttered. "W-what was that?"

All three of the HIVE students were knocked to their feet as Flash whizzed by them again.

 _"Crud!"_ Gizmo shrieked, levitating into the air. "It's the Flash!"

"Are you really that slow?" Flash asked, stopping in front of the HIVE trio. "Of course, everything seems a little slow to me."

Their expressions of shock were rapidly replaced by grimaces. Jinx puffed up her chest in an effort to look intimidating.

"Attack pattern Alpha!"

 **-B-**

 _"BEAST BOY!"_

He turned at the sound of his name. Robin and Raven skidded to a halt feet from him. Where were the others?

"Are you here to help me?" he demanded. "You're late."

"Look," Robin said, slowly stepping forward. "I understand how you feel, but you can't do this now."

He looked at his fellow Titans.

How would Robin know how he _felt?_ Sometimes the guy could act so callously. Instead of answering Beast Boy transformed back into a gorilla. Robin shouted something else, but Beast Boy didn't hear. Instead he roared in frustration and continued on his way.

"Jeez," Robin muttered, "Beast Boy, I really don't want to do this."

The Boy Wonder struck him hard across the face with his bo-staff. The force of the blow caused stars to explode in front of Beast Boy's eyes as he reverted back to human form. Beast Boy landed hard on the pavement and rolled away, his head throbbing painfully.

"What are you doing?" Raven demanded. "Hitting him won't do any good."

Almost at once Beast Boy sprang to his feet, morphed into a bull, and faced Robin. His hooves pounded the ground angrily. If they weren't going to help him, then they should get out of his way.

"Stop it!" Robin snarled, grasping Beast Boy by the collar of his uniform. "Stop it right now!"

Beast Boy squirmed in Robin's death grip and glared at him. He didn't need to follow orders from him, a kid who didn't even have powers. All at once his respect for Robin dissipated as the Boy Wonder pressed the bo-staff against his neck.

"Why should I stop?" Beast Boy snapped. "Someone vandalized Terra's tomb!"

 _"We know!_ But we don't deal with vandalism, Beast Boy! This is something the police can handle!"

 _"I don't want the police to handle it!"_ Beast Boy roared. _"I want to find them myself!"_

Didn't _any_ of them understand? Didn't _any_ of them care about what happened? Beast Boy's lips turned down into a feral snarl.

"Calm down and think rationally," Robin said. "We don't know who did it or why. Beating the crap out of the first candy-stealing crook you find won't do any good."

"Where are the HIVE guys?" Beast Boy demanded. "I bet it was that little snot Gizmo who-"

"Even if they are responsible we _do not enforce the law!"_ Beast Boy could hear Robin's teeth grinding. "That's the JCPD's job. Our job now is to take down the HIVE agents!"

"Then let me do it!" Beast Boy struggled underneath Robin's grip. "Why are you doing this?"

"Maybe," Robin growled, leaning in closer to Beast Boy's face, "I know what it feels like to be obsessed."

Their faces were mere inches apart. Beast Boy's thin chest rose and fell quickly as he stayed there under Robin's bo-staff. Who was Robin to lecture him? This was why he left the Doom Patrol in the first place. He was tired of being lectured, tired of being held back, and tired of being pushed around.

"Let. Me. Go."

The eyeholes of Robin's mask narrowed. Beast Boy's voice sunk to a rough growl. _You know,_ he thought, _I could hurt Robin bad. I have the power._

 _So did Terra._

"If this is how you're going to act, then you can take your attitude somewhere else."

"Robin," Raven said. "You're not making this any better."

Beast Boy could almost see and hear Gotham through Robin's actions. He knew about Gotham's hardened residents. That was why Robin acted so paranoid and—at times—so ruthless. Beast Boy could tell that Robin was holding back. Where did he learn to fight Metahumans? Surely Batman—as a normal human himself—wouldn't know how. Perhaps Slade _had_ taught Robin a few tricks.

"Look who's talking," Beast Boy spat. "I'm not the one who went totally flipped-out cuckoo labanza o—"

Too far.

"Don't pull this stunt now," Robin hissed. "The HIVE is attacking Jump. I'm sorry, Beast Boy, but you're going to have to put your emotions behind you." After a moment's pause Robin spoke in a lowered voice so that the passerby wouldn't hear. "And this won't bring her back."

Robin eased the pressure on Beast Boy's neck. Beast Boy stood up and brushed dirt away from the front of his uniform. But as he looked upon the faces of his friends he suddenly felt ashamed. This wasn't like him at all.

"What's happening to me?" he asked himself quietly.

Robin held out a hand. "Let's go help the others."

 **-C-**

With Flash, it was almost too easy.

The HIVE graduates were prepared to fight the Teen Titans, _not_ a member of the Justice League of America. Cyborg sniggered under his breath. Funny. The HIVE Academy was supposed to train its students to become the best villains around. If these were the HIVE's top graduates who couldn't even deal with the Titans, let alone the Justice League…

He heard his communicator beep. That meant that Robin and Raven had found Beast Boy and were heading this way right now. He almost picked up his communicator to tell them that they weren't needed, but with Brother Blood one would never know.

Jinx and Starfire tangoed across the large room, their powers clashing with great bursts of energy. The sorceress spun with ridiculous flourishes, trying desperately to hit the Tamaranean princess. Flash moved to catch Gizmo, who was doing his best to fly away from him. Cyborg and Mammoth's fists were locked together like two sparring bucks, each gritting his teeth in exertion.

"You got a heart in there, tin man?" Mammoth asked.

Cyborg didn't waste his breath with a witty reply. He pushed. Mammoth slipped from the sudden push, which allowed Cyborg to free his other hand. He caught the giant by the forearm and swung him around. The HIVE graduate yelled as he flew across the room and landed on a pile of wooden boxes.

"Titans, go!" Robin's voice rang out from above them.

Ah good, the cavalry had arrived.

The three remaining Titans leapt down from the shadows above with cries of enthusiastic vigor.

"Let's get out of here," Jinx said, her voice shaking with suppressed fear.

"Blood won't be happ—" Mammoth began.

 _"I know!"_ she snapped. "But we can't handle this."

All at once the HIVE trio attacked one last time. Jinx flung out her arms and cast a hex while Mammoth punched the ground and Gizmo threw an exploding disc. Raven threw up a shield of dark energy to protect them all from the blast.

As the shield dissipated the HIVE trio disappeared, most likely to crawl back crying to Brother Blood. Beast Boy stepped forward and gestured a fist towards their backs.

 _"COWARDS!"_ Beast Boy shouted once he went back to his human form. "Come back here and fight!"

"Dude, chill out BB," Cyborg said.

Beast Boy's ensuing glare shocked Cyborg into silence. If anything, Cyborg should have been the one pissed off because of Brother Blood's involvement. With a snort Beast Boy morphed into a bird and flew away back to Titans Tower. Cyborg opened his mouth to call out to his friend.

"Let him go," Robin said.

"What?" Cyborg asked. "Dude, I'm his friend I should—"

"He needs some time alone."

Cyborg looked down at the boy wonder and frowned. For the first time he noticed how very tired Robin looked. He was sure that purple bags of weariness rested beneath that mask. Like the others, Cyborg had considered the possibility that Robin was losing his grip. But Cyborg knew that he shouldn't ask or criticize unless Robin was doing something seriously-and obviously-wrong. The last thing the Titans needed now was their leader losing his grip.

And now this...this thing with Terra. Cyborg gritted his teeth and stared at the sky.

Damn that dust.

* * *

 **A/N:** All right, I am so not used to writing BB's POV. I will say this right now: Beast Boy is not my favorite character. As you can probably tell, Robin is. But this story is part mystery and part character study, a challenge on my part to write something other than Robin-centered stories. But because "Haunted" is primarily a Robin-centered episode his POV will still be significant to the overall storyline. I plan to have the chapters get steadily longer as I slowly expand upon each character and his/her history. I don't think the next few parts will be as long as part one, though.

And this is the moody "Beast Within" Beast Boy. I like him more when he's angsty.

I also dislike writing fight scenes with more than six people. It gets too complicated. So tell me if something doesn't make sense.

As always, please review.


	10. Basics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I'm looking outside my window and I see the peacock that lives in my backyard. But I don't see anything that tells me that I own Teen Titans.

**Disclaimer:** I'm looking outside my window and I see the peacock that lives in my backyard. But I don't see anything that tells me that I own Teen Titans.

* * *

Chapter 9: Basics

 **-BB-**

To his own surprise—and everyone else's—Beast Boy left Terra's tomb alone and allowed the police to search the area. Robin was right: he wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. He wasn't a trained detective like Robin was. The most he could do was pick up the scent of the vandals as a dog.

He spent most of his Saturday at the carnival where he and Terra had spent their date night. Since Slade's attack the carnival had been shut down, mostly because Terra wreaked it trying to save him. He knew that if he walked into the House of Mirrors that the mirrors would still be cracked and broken from his angry tirade against Slade.

 _He lay on Terra's bed as a bloodhound, his body curled around the heart-shaped box he had made for Terra. His long ears easily picked up the other Titans' conversations._

" _And Beast Boy?" Starfire asked._

" _He just needs some time," Robin replied._

 _A high-pitched whine filled the air as he curled himself into a tighter ball. Terra's scent still filled the air and enveloped him as he lay on her bed. He whined like a dog in physical pain, struggling to cope with her betrayal._

 _Everything in her room was exactly as she left it, save for the few items Robin took for filing purposes. Her laptop, for example. Even though Beast Boy wanted to deny that she had truly betrayed them, there was enough evidence in her room to convict her. Robin broke into her email account and found several messages between her and Slade._

 _He heard the others move around outside of his room, speaking to each other in low voices. How where the others handling this? Did they feel just as lost and confused and hurt as he did? Could they possibly understand?_

 _He was so heartbroken._

Beast Boy stood up and morphed into a hawk. He flew into the air and followed the tracks of the roller coaster, pretending that he was riding the coaster again with Terra. Up and down. Bank left and bank right. Adrenaline rush. Little high. Little low.

Now that he saw the coaster in the daylight he wondered vaguely how he had trusted its rickety structure. The wood was old and untrustworthy, just like any other cheap carnival ride. But despite its flaws and the cheesiness of the entire carnival Terra had loved this place. Anything that made Terra happy Beast Boy vowed to love as well.

His communicator rang.

With a deep sigh Beast Boy took it out and flipped it open. It was probably Robin telling him to come back to the Tower.

"Garfield?"

He almost dropped the communicator in surprise. He recognized that voice. Rita's face stared back at him through the communicator, her face full of concern.

"Rita?" Beast Boy asked, surprised. "What are you doing?"

The Doom Patrol almost _never_ called him. He knew that Steve didn't really approve of his new team, but Steve never said it out loud. Out of all of the members of the Doom Patrol, however, Rita was the nicest one. At times Beast Boy felt as though she understood him.

"I'm calling you," she replied, "or rather, I'm calling you on behalf of the Doom Patrol."

"Why?"

"We've just finished defeating the Brotherhood of Evil—for the time being. Now that we're home we've finally caught up on some news."

Oh no.

Beast Boy's heart began to pound wildly in his chest. Steve said they would never call unless it was an emergency.

"We heard the news about Terra."

Beast Boy shut his eyes tightly. The last thing he wanted now was a lecture from Mento. He thought briefly of hanging up on Rita, but he knew that he shouldn't. Her tone wasn't condescending. Rather, it sounded consoling. His ears drooped sadly.

"It seems as though everyone has."

No one outside of the Titans called to console him. Most of the other heroes—like the Doom Patrol and Justice League—could not forgive Terra for betraying the Titans. He thought it extremely unfair that they should label her as such, especially after the sacrifice that ended her life.

But her betrayal laid bare the naked reality: heroes are inherently trustworthy, and it is the impulse to do good and act good that is a hero's weakness. Anyone in the Justice League or Doom Patrol or even the Green Lantern Corps could infiltrate and betray. The older heroes just didn't like to admit it.

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said. "Were you close to her?"

"Very."

"I would come to visit you myself, but Steve won't have it. The Brotherhood is always planning something."

Yeah, and so are the rest of the villains out there. He knew that he was a hypocrite for making fun of Batman and Robin's relationship because it was the same with him and Steve. But at least Robin got to fight more battles alongside Batman. Steve never trusted him with _anything._

"Garfield, are you okay?"

"Yeah, Rita. I'm fine."

He was glad that Steve didn't want to come. Sure, he loved the Doom Patrol. They were like his family, but he didn't want them barging in at a time like this.

But what did he want exactly? Did he want people to console him, to tell him that he was an awesome superhero and that Terra had been a true Teen Titan? Part of him said "yes." Was that what he wanted: praise, recognition for his work? Fame? He really didn't know.

 _I should probably get back to the Tower,_ he thought.

"Thanks for calling, Rita," he said. "But I have to go."

"I'll be calling you back. We're not finished talking."

"I know."

He shut his communicator, morphed into a bird, and flew away into the warm air.

 **-R-**

Endless circles.

Robin found himself back in the evidence room. Flash had long ago gone back to Metropolis to deal with whatever crisis the JLA was dealing with. He was probably back in Central City by now. The Tower had been thoroughly searched, but nothing else appeared to have been stolen. This only increased Robin's uneasiness.

Robin's eyes fell upon newspaper clippings on the walls.

Although he wanted to believe that the vandalized tomb and the triggering of Slade's mask were two separate events, Robin had a sinking feeling in his stomach that they were somehow related. How so? They were personal attacks against the Titans. What if the reagent wasn't Slade's last trick?

Again, Batman was right. They were chasing leads all over the place. Scarecrow. Slade. Brother Blood. Back to Scarecrow again. At the end of the day they ended up back at the place where they began. Like a dog chasing its tail. To solve this, Robin had to get down to the bare basics:

Who benefits?

Well, a large number of people did. Whoever was doing this to them obviously wanted to split the Titans apart. With the Titans bickering or split up the villains in their rogue gallery would leap at the chance to attack and cause chaos in Jump. With no one to defend the Jump the city would become a veritable playground for the villains. If such a thing happened in Arkham….

If Slade was alive—Robin reasoned with the utmost care—then he didn't need a reason. The man had been a psychopath and always tried to take the Titans apart. He did that twice before during both Robin and Terra's apprenticeships. But Slade was dead.

The problem was Robin couldn't think of anyone else smart enough to do this.

" _Sending trouble your way…leaving cryptic clues for you to unravel…I was testing you…"_

Robin slammed his fist down on his desk. Would the man never leave him in peace?

Terra's apprenticeship had always puzzled Robin. It was obvious that Slade used Terra as a pawn, but he had picked Robin first. There were qualities the two shared, qualities that Terra had none of. In an odd way, Slade wanted to look upon him as a son. It seemed as though Slade had taken Terra on as an apprentice just to get revenge, but Robin knew that Slade never meant to have Terra follow him in his footsteps. She was just a pawn. Robin huffed impatiently as he considered his options again.

It would be like Slade to leave another string of clues for him to follow.

What if whoever triggered the reagent never meant to kill him? What if the perpetrator meant only to distract him? Or, as it was more likely, what if the dust was merely a…foreshadowing of things to come?

"Robin?"

Starfire again. He felt himself tense as she drew near, although he didn't quite know why. Robin vowed that he would never let his personal feelings get in the way of hero business. Oh how he had failed so hard in that department.

"What is it?" he asked. "Did the chief of police call?"

"Yes. They are having difficulty locating the vandals. There are none of the prints of the fingers to be found."

Hmm. Definitely not the work of highschool dropouts armed with spray paint.

"What about the shaving cream cans? Can't they trace it back to the store they came from?"

"They were unable to do that as well," she replied sadly. "The Chief of the Police said that they were not all bought at once. They were accumulated over time."

"Then someone….someone's been planning this."

No fingerprints. No trace. Nothing. The most they could do was analyze the handwriting on the walls, and even that would lead to a dead end.

"Robin, please take a break," she said, tugging gently at his arm. "This is most unhealthy."

She was right. Of course she was right. Alfred would have told him the same thing. Even though Robin didn't want to admit it he was acting more like Bruce than he realized. The moodiness. The obsessive habits.

He looked straight at her. Dick Grayson made a conscious choice to become Robin, so that he could fight crime and protect the people he loved. He and Beast Boy had already been targeted. What would stop the perpetrator from targeting the rest of his friends?

"I'm sorry, Star, but I have to work." His stomach squirmed as worry twisted her face. "I'll be out in a little bit. I promise."

Robin tried to smile, but Starfire had already left the room. His heart sank deeply in his chest as he turned back to his work. Promises, promises, broken promises. The only part of this job that he hated was the lying.

Now, back to the basics.

Who would be attacked next?

 **-S-**

There was too much troubling her mind.

Starfire walked in agitation around Titans Tower as she tried to find something else to occupy her time. Robin was retreating back to his old habits, which she did not like at all. It reminded her too much of the time he was looking for Slade.

She went into the common room and found Raven hovering a few feet above the floor, chanting monotonously as she meditated.

"Friend Raven," Starfire said, approaching the empath's hovering figure. "May I speak to you?"

Raven opened her eyes slowly, obviously annoyed at the interruption. Starfire levitated into the air and crossed her legs Indian-fashion in imitation of her friend, her hands resting on her knees.

"About what?"

The Tamaranean hesitated, wondering how to word her troubles. What did she really wish to talk about? The fact that the boy she loved did not trust her? That he was retreating to his old habits? That she was afraid of many things?

"I…I do not know where to begin."

Raven sighed.

"I feel everyone's emotions, Starfire," she replied. "Whether I want to or not."

"What emotions can you feel from me?"

"Uneasiness. Uncertainty." Raven looked curiously at Starfire. "Why are you uncertain, Starfire?"

"Do you not feel uncertain yourself?"

Raven fell silent, although her face was expressionless.

"I am not uncertain about the future," Raven said, "but I feel a growing aura of evil."

A growing aura of evil. Was that what she felt? How could Raven control her emotions so well? Never once had Starfire seen her cry. It would be so tormenting to keep her emotions inside. Starfire felt that if she applied the same techniques Raven used to keep her powers under control that she would explode. Right now she had to talk to someone. Robin was out of the question. Although she was good friends with Cyborg she did not feel as though she could talk to him about these things. Beast Boy was of course dealing with his own issues.

"From what?" Starfire asked.

"I'm not sure. But we need to be extra careful."

"Hey cutie!"

With a screech of surprise Starfire spun around and found Red X standing right behind her. Her heart pounded madly in her chest. Her and Raven's quiet moment together had just been ruined. He stretched nonchalantly and threw himself upon the sofa. Starfire felt anger bubbling up inside her. What in X'hal's name was the thief doing _here?_ Here in the Titans Tower? The thief pointed a finger at Starfire.

"Hey babe, how about you, me, and a movie tomorrow night?"

"There will be no such thing!" Starfire snarled.

How…how dare he! She had already rejected him once before, and his bold audacity only made her dislike him more. For some reason she felt as if the eyes behind that mask were roving up and down her body in obvious approval.

"Why? Is it because you're dating the Boy Blunder?" She was certain that Red X was smirking beneath the mask. Her ensuing silence said too much. "He's that much of a wuss? Funny, I thought he had more guts than that."

He flinched as she rose into the air, her fists glowing green with starbolts. As a warrior trained by the Warlord of Okaara she would not tolerate such insults to her friends. She may seem friendly and pleasant, but when she got angry there would be hell to pay.

"You will apologize!"

"Hey, it's just my opinion, sweetheart." Red X held up his hands. "Take it for what you will."

"What's going on?" Cyborg's voice called out. "Star? Raven?"

The hallway door slid open. Beast Boy and Cyborg walked into the room, but froze once they saw Red X. An expression of dumb shock crossed Beast Boy's face. Cyborg, however, curled his hands into fists.

"Wanna tell me how you got past my security?" Cyborg asked, his voice a low growl.

"For the right price, yeah I will."

"Why you little s—"

"It's alright, guys, he's here for a reason." Robin strode into the room. "How much are you asking for, X?"

Starfire felt her jaw drop in astonishment. What was Robin doing? What was he saying?

"Five hundred," Red X said, "for pointing out the flaws in Tin Man's security."

"Dude, we don't have that kind of money," Cyborg began. "You can't ju—"

"Deal." Everyone, even Red X, turned to look at the boy wonder in shock. Robin's brow was furrowed and his mouth set in a thin line. "I'll pay you myself."

"What, you just got hundred-dollar bills lying around?" X asked. "I didn't know that being a superhero paid so well. Maybe I should consider a change of profession."

"I'm not loaded, but my mentor is."

Blush faintly colored his cheeks as he said this, as though he was embarrassed to admit that he came from wealth. Why should he be ashamed? Starfire herself was a princess of Tamaran. Red X considered Robin for a moment.

"Huh. If Batman's so loaded then why did you leave Gotham?"

Robin shot Red X a cold glare.

"Don't push it."

His tone suggested that the conversation was done. Red X shifted in his seat and sniggered under his breath.

"Who's ruffled your feathers, kid?"

"The bird puns are old, X. Tell me what you know."

"Um, Robin," Starfire said, holding up a finger and pointing it at Red X. "What is going on?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy said. "I think you have some explaining to do."

Everyone looked at Robin.

"I hired Red X to gather some information. Information that I wouldn't be able to obtain without an insider to the criminal underground."

"And you hired Red X, why?" Beast Boy asked.

"Do you know anything else?"

That shut Beast Boy up.

"The HIVE's done some past work with Slade," Red X said, throwing down a picture of the previous Headmistress upon the table. "As you probably know, he hired Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo to eliminate you."

Starfire could tell that Robin looked and felt frustrated.

"What happened to the old Headmistress?" Robin asked.

"Now there's a mystery for you to solve," Red X replied, laughing a little. "Disappeared a few months ago and is still missing. No one really knows what happened to her."

"Must have been Brother Blood," Cyborg said. "All he wants is control."

"What else is new?" Robin cut-in.

"Brother Blood knows of Slade's connections with the HIVE Academy, but he never bothered to contact him."

"Probably because he knew he wouldn't be able to mind-control him," Cyborg said.

"As for your man Wintergreen, I think Beast Boy may be of some help," Red X said. "After snooping around I heard a rumor that he joined the Brotherhood of Evil. Why? I don't know."

"The Brotherhood of Evil?" Cyborg asked. "I think I've heard of them. The Monkey and the Brain, right?"

"Yeah. They're the Doom Patrol's arch-enemy," Beast Boy said, "I've fought them several times. They're way bad."

"Any reason why Wintergreen would want to join them?" Robin asked.

"No. I don't know why. Maybe he wanted protection from old enemies." Beast Boy crossed his arms over his chest. "I haven't been keeping up with the Brotherhood, so I'm not sure."

Red X shrugged. "So, Robin, do I get my belt back?"

"No. Not until I see Wintergreen myself."

"You're a hard man to please."

"I'm just doing my job."

Starfire was sure that the thief was grinning under his mask.

"The man's hard to find, but I heard another rumor as well. From what I hear he's become a big-time bookie in the racetracks thirty miles outside of Jump."

"A _bookie?"_ Robin echoed, his voice disbelieving. "Why would Wintergreen become a bookie?"

What was a bookie? Starfire pursed her lips as she racked her memory of English terms. She was pretty sure she had heard the term once or twice, but she did not know exactly what it meant. Star made a mental note to ask one of the others later.

Red X shrugged.

"Don't know and don't care. Maybe he just wants to keep a low profile. For the time being."

It seemed as though Red X had nothing more to say. Robin seemed to sense this as well.

"If you have nothing else to say, X, then go point out the Tower's security flaws to Cyborg."

"Now?"

"Yeah, now. I have the money. I'll pay you."

Cyborg and Red X strode up to the computer console to work out the security flaws, although Starfire did not wish to stay in the room with the thief any longer. It infuriated her that Robin trusted this man, but then again she supposed that she shouldn't be surprised at the risks he was willing to take.

"Okay, Tin Man, I see spots _everywhere,"_ Red X said, pointing at the schematics on screen. "No wonder your security's always breached. This is like trying to contain Plasmus with a fish net."

Raven had her book out and was now reading. Mediating here was now out of the question. If Red X and Cyborg's bickering continued Starfire was sure that the empathy would leave. Robin joined Red X and Cyborg to discuss the Tower's security. Beast Boy lay sprawled on the couch reading a comic book. Resigned to the fact that the others may need her assistance Starfire settled down on the couch and occupied herself with watching Robin.

"Hello Robin."

Tension filled the air as Slade's face appeared on the giant television screen. At once Robin went into a fighting stance. Cyborg held out an arm to Robin.

"Chill out, it's just a recording."

Even though Starfire knew that this was a recording, she still found herself angry and fearful.

"What's going on?" Robin demanded.

"Something was embedded within the main computer," Red X said. "This video message."

"What? Cyborg, how come you didn't catch this before?"

"It looks exactly like my technology, man, but I don't know…" Cyborg trailed off, looking at the screen. "I don't know…"

Everyone fell into silence as they listened to what Slade had to say.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would find this," Slade said, his tone smirking. "Terra was kind enough to plant this recording into the cyborg's security system before she left. I do hope the other Titans are watching this."

Robin stood rigid. Starfire knew that he had issues with Slade. Who didn't? Their rivalry was something Starfire knew she wouldn't quite understand. It was something he never talked about with her or the others. In a way he was like Raven, keeping his emotions to himself, but the difference was that her powers were based on emotions. Keeping her emotions in check was necessary, but not for Robin.

"While Terra is a fine apprentice, I must say that I miss you terribly. There is nothing more I would love to do than to chat with you about those good old days. As you very well know, Terra will strike again. You are very welcome to seek me out on your own. Even after your…rebelliousness I am still willing to welcome you back. You and Terra would make a fine team.

"But I am not trying to persuade you to join me again. I know you won't. I suppose I'm just being nostalgic. I merely wanted to say hello and to keep you on your feet. Here's a little reminder of our…pleasant time together as master and apprentice."

Slade's face disappeared and the screen went dark. However, it was obvious that there was still video playing. Metal gears cranked and creaked in the background. From what Starfire could tell, it looked like footage from a security camera. A faint light flickered on, revealing a dark-clad figure lying immobile and curled on the floor. As the camera zoomed in a little she could see that it was Robin, dressed in that hated apprentice uniform. His arms were flung over his head and his knees drawn up to his chin.

It was, undoubtedly, the posture of one who has been utterly and totally defeated.

"Turn it off!" Robin spat, moving towards the keyboard. "Now!"

Starfire could only watch in fascinating horror as Robin tried frantically to take the video down, but to no avail. Did she want to watch this? No, she did not. But something caused her feet to remain glued to the floor and her eyes fixed to the screen.

"I can't," Cyborg said, "it's messing with the whole system. It's taken over everything."

In the video Slade appeared from the shadows. His very gestures and presence were that of a predator stalking its prey. Robin's figure twitched into a tighter ball as Slade approached him. Slade bent down and pried Robin's arms away from his face. As Robin thrashed violently in Slade's grip his pale face hit the light. Blood flowed clearly from a cut in his forehead.

"Guys," Robin said, his breathing becoming shallow. "I…I don't want…"

His words were lost as he realized that nothing would stop them from watching. Tears prickled at the edges of her brilliant green eyes as she watched the horrifying events unfold.

"Slade…" Robin said, his voice sounding incredibly weak. "Please…don't…"

Slade kneed him in the chest and shoved him back to the floor. The boy wonder rolled to his side and whimpered.

"It's amusing, you know," Slade said, beginning to circle Robin's fallen figure. "How far you will go to protect your friends."

As Robin struggled to his feet Slade slammed a boot down on his back.

"The first thing you must learn, my apprentice, is self-preservation. It's basic."

Was Robin even listening? The expression on his face betrayed the fact that he was barely conscious.

"The Titans are holding you back. If I were in your situation I would allow them to die to stop the pain." Slade knelt down next to him and spoke in a lowered voice, just barely audible. "And I know that you want the pain to stop."

At first Robin didn't reply. He turned his head to look at Slade's face. A moment of silence crept between them, and it seemed as though each know how the other would respond. Robin would refuse and Slade would continue to beat him.

"Just…just…don't hurt them. Please…Slade…"

After considering his apprentice for a brief moment Slade continued to pound him into the floor.

What cut through Starfire's heart the most was the fact that Robin _pleaded._ On her home planet the closest word equivalent to the English word "nice" was "weak." But when is one considered weak? When he pleads for his life? When he pleads for his torturer to stop? Or when he pleads to be killed to end his suffering?

Starfire finally tore her gaze away from television screen to look at Robin. He stood completely still, except for his slight flinches every time his own voice screamed. The others stood with shocked and horrified expressions on their faces.

Even Red X had fallen silent. She was glad that the thief did not say anything degrading or mocking to Robin. The seriousness of the situation seemed to have hit him hard. Even though Starfire did not know the Red X very well, she understood that he thought everything was a game. But when it came to Slade the situation ceased to become a silly game of cops and robbers.

It became a matter of life and death.

The footage of Robin's beating ended abruptly. Slade's face came back on screen.

"Do I expect Terra to beat you in single combat? Perhaps. Perhaps not. And if your friends are watching this, then I would like to let them know that I know you better than they do," Slade leaned in closer to the camera, "and I am certain you would agree also, circus brat."

The video fizzled out of existence.

* * *

 **A/N:** Phew! Longest chapter so far.

I just realized that I focused a lot on Robin in this chapter. Again. And look, I managed to have another flashback WITHOUT making it a flashback. I just really like the torture the poor kid. Beast Boy's POV is just so hard for me! Argh! Anyway, a shoutout to KaliAnn is in order: she suggested more time with the girls, so that little scene with Starfire and Raven is the result!

Also, what do you guys think of the last scene with the video? That was added-on last minute. I was just thinking about how Slade could be involved in this story EVEN THOUGH HE'S DEAD. Don't you think it would be like Slade to leave little "surprises" for Robin? He just loves to drive him crazy, after all.

As for Wintergreen joining the Brotherhood of Evil, seriously, did you guys notice that HE IS in the Brotherhood of Evil in "Titans Together"? He appears for like two seconds in the big battle.

Sorry this took a little longer than usual to post. I actually had to work (gasp! Work? What's that?) and I said that the chapters would be longer.

Please review. Reviews make me happy.


	11. Tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Copyrights? I've never heard of such a thing.

**Disclaimer:** Copyrights? I've never heard of such a thing.

 **A/N:** First off, thank you guys so much for the reviews! I've never gotten so many responses before for a chapter. I opened up my email and was like, "whoa…" So, yeah. I really appreciate it and I squee with joy every time I read a review.

* * *

"One day, some lunatic in a cape digs up a mystical statue…the next thing you know, he's walking around in your body. Sure, we won in the end. But when things like that happen…you think they don't take a look?"

-Green Arrow (Oliver Queen), Identity Crisis

* * *

Chapter 10: Tea

 **-R-**

Robin collapsed onto the couch and bowed his head, his brow furrowed and his fingers massaging his aching temple. He was trying so very hard to compose himself, but was clearly failing. He couldn't—he just _couldn't—_ afford to have a mental breakdown right now. It was just…just that Robin remembered exactly when that particular beating happened and why Slade had done it.

"What did Slade mean?" Cyborg asked, finally gathering the courage to speak. "He doesn't know you better than we do."

If only that were true.

"He knew my secret identity."

It was the ultimate taboo. Most villains in Jump City weren't too concerned about his secret identity or his history. All they cared about was what bank they were robbing or the next heist they would perform or...whatever. What differentiated Slade from the other villains was the personal investment Slade took in him.

And that final jab….circus brat….

 _"What?"_ Beast Boy exclaimed. "How?"

He almost laughed out loud, but refrained himself. Nothing about this was funny, yet it was almost an instinctive reaction. Sometimes Beast Boy could be so clueless.

"Do you honestly believe," Robin said, lifting his head to look at them, "that he wouldn't take a peek while I was there?"

"Well…"

Tears of anguish were slowly trailing down Starfire's face. Her loud sobs only increased his anxiety. He hated to see her like this, which was exactly why he didn't want to tell them about the apprenticeship in the first place. Yet this video told more than he could ever explain with words.

"I had to do everything he said or else he would have killed you all." Robin's hands began to shake. "He's right. He knew everything about me. My past, my weaknesses. Everything."

Whatever Slade thought, it was _not_ amusing how far he was willing to go to save his friends. He had already experienced the pain brought on by his parents' deaths. Robin worked so hard to make sure that he would never be so emotionally distraught again from the death of a loved one. Slade had been wrong to assume that he could control Robin forever by taking the Titans' lives.

He stood up and tossed Red X his belt back. "Thanks for pointing out the flaws. I'll pay you now."

His voice sounded monotonous, but crisp and business-like. Robin kept telling himself over and over that it didn't matter anymore. Slade was gone. Slade was dead. It was only happenstance that this video showed up.

Yet the memories were quite vivid.

To his surprise Red X put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to."

Robin stepped back from Red X, his movements and expression almost defensive. The last thing he expected from Red X was sympathy. He almost wished that the thief would say something mocking or degrading to him. A moment of brief—but intense—hatred for Red X passed through Robin like an electric shock.

" _Are you trying to pity me?"_ Robin snapped, his voice rising angrily. "Because I don't need pity! I did what I had to do. Unlike you, X, I'm not selfish. I don't get paid to do this. I let him walk all over me because I had to and because I had no other choice. "

No other choice. It was a friggin' no holds barred beat down. The last thing Robin wanted from the others was pity. He didn't want to be coddled like a child. His…employment…with Slade was a personal matter, but it seemed as though Slade wasn't satisfied with keeping it between them. Even when he had another _willing_ apprentice the man went out of his way to humiliate him.

"This is why I'll never play the big villain, kid," Red X said. "I take what I need and do what I want, but I don't need to know your secret i.d." He pointed towards the television screen. "That is one sadistic bastard. I may get on your nerves, we may have fun little sparring sessions, but I'll never do that to anyone."

The thief sounded absolutely sincere. Robin found himself believing every word that Red X said. He was selfish, for sure, but if Red X really wanted to he could play the hero.

"William Wintergreen," Red X said, "works at the racetracks under the name Will Jacobs." Red X pushed a button on his belt. "I hope that helps. I'll be seeing ya around, kid."

With a flicker the thief disappeared.

"Robin…" Raven said, reaching for his shoulder. "Are you—"

He walked towards the hallway leading out of the common room, but stopped at the frame of the door. Robin leaned against the wall and flung an arm over his face, struggling hard to contain the hurricane of emotions churning within him. What did he do wrong? How did he allow himself to be so _weak?_ How did he allow Slade to trap him like that? Batman had taught him to do better.

So much better.

"I'll go find Wintergreen myself," he said.

His tone suggested that he didn't want to talk about what just happened.

"But…do you not wish for assistance?" Starfire asked.

"He knows my secret identity as well. I'll go alone and as myself."

Even after all this…after admitting to the fact that Slade knew his history, Robin was still reluctant to tell his friends about his past. It was an old habit deeply ingrained within him, the result of training with Bruce for years.

"Robin…" It was Raven. "None of what happened is your fault."

Was that what he felt? Guilt? He turned his head away and walked down the hallway into the darkness. Robin didn't want to see their faces. Or rather, he didn't want to looks their expressions of horror and anguish at what they had just witnessed.

He went into the bathroom, shut the door, and ripped off his mask. Robin splashed cold water onto his face until he became numb. His hands clutched the sides of the sink as he leaned forward, trying to hold back vomit.

Just as he was beginning to cope with the nightmares Slade had to go and throw in a few more "surprises." Water dripped from his chin and hair in a steady trickle as he turned off the tap. He didn't watch the video, but he couldn't stop himself from listening and couldn't stop the memories flooding back into him. He considered what Raven had said.

 _"None of this is your fault…"_

She was wrong.

For the hundredth time he wished he could become emotionally numb. Everything was his fault. It was because of him that the others almost got killed. He tried so hard to be a strong, resilient leader of the Teen Titans. Yes, he made mistakes. But because he was the most well-known hero on the team (the protégée of Batman, after all) people chewed him out more for his mistakes.

Red X was his mistake, and probably the one he regretted most of all. Sure, Red X had goaded Slade out into the open. It was a risk he didn't have to take, a risk Batman would have scolded him for. Masquerading as Red X probably reaffirmed Slade's decision to take him on as an apprentice.

Robin grabbed a towel and began to wipe his face dry. What did he have to do to get Slade out of his life? The face looking back at him in the mirror was twisted with distraught. Robin put the mask back on his face.

He just had to carry on.

 **-Rae-**

The next morning it was eerily quiet in the Tower.

Starfire and Beast Boy had retreated to their rooms. They came in briefly for a quick breakfast before going back to their rooms. Cyborg sat at the kitchen table and stared into space. Robin was off to locate Wintergreen.

"Man…" Cyborg said, rubbing his face. "I still can't get over it…"

Raven poured herself a cup of herbal tea to help herself calm down. The video hadn't hit her as hard as the others, since he had already felt his emotions and seen his memories. Yet last night she couldn't help but admire his courage. Even when Slade offered to alleviate the pain Robin still said no. In a way, the video did not discourage her. She supposed that was what Slade meant to do: humiliate him.

"Dude, I should have found that a long time ago," Cyborg said, not to anyone in particular. "I should have deleted it before Robin found it."

The video…

Raven went up to the computer console and accessed the video again.

"Raven, why are you looking at that again?" Cyborg asked. "Once was enough."

She shut her eyes tightly. Instead of stopping she put the video on mute and began to watch it again. Raven pushed away her emotions and tried to look at this objectively. Even with her emotions in check it was extremely difficult to watch this again.

"I'm looking for clues."

Raven knew that the others accused her of being too calm and not emotionally involved in anything. The thing was that she couldn't afford to be emotionally involved for fear of hurting others. Cyborg shot her a confused look.

"For what? Slade was just messing with Robin's head. That's all Slade meant to do."

Her lips thinned. That could very well be what Slade meant to do, but something else nagged at her. It wasn't a sense of morbid curiosity that drove her, but a sense that they were missing something important. As she watched she tried to draw her eyes away from the beating, looking instead at the background and the edges of the screen. What was she looking for? Something. Anything that could help. She knew that Robin would never look at that message ever again. Would Slade be counting on that?

Her lips parted slightly as her eyes caught something.

"Wait a moment," she breathed.

She paused the video and stared at the screen.

"There's a subliminal message in here," she said. "Cyborg, look at this."

Cyborg stood up heavily and came over to look. She pointed at the date at the bottom of the screen.

"The date is wrong. Look, it's not even a date."

Instead of a date, there were the numbers 15-39-28.

"What is it, then?" Cyborg asked.

"The numbers to a combination lock, perhaps? Or an account number or a password."

Both of them stared at the photo still. Robin's body was contorted in pain as Slade's body was frozen in time, his fist drawn back to hit Robin again. Raven wondered what Robin had done or said to make Slade so angry.

"Or it could be nothing," she said, "knowing Slade, he may be leading us on another wild goose chase."

"I think we should call Robin," Cyborg said. "He knows better than we do."

They exchanged uneasy glances. Slade obviously left some sort of code for his former apprentice. Raven didn't know what it could possibly be, but they had to start somewhere.

"Let's go back to the haunt," Raven said.

"I'll go get the others," Cyborg replied.

 **-R-**

For the second time this week Robin found himself back as Dick Grayson.

He weaved in-and-out of traffic on his motorcycle, earning himself many angry shouts from other drivers on the highway. People would complain less if he was roaring along as Robin on the R Cycle, but this had to be done undercover. Dick just hoped that a cop wouldn't pull him over for speeding. Bruce wouldn't be happy about the ticket.

The reason he couldn't infiltrate Jump City's underground was because too many people would recognize him as Richard Grayson. Being the ward of a billionaire didn't help at all. His black leather jacket flapped in the wind as he leaned forward.

He had been sorely tempted to barge in as Robin, but he needed this to be as quietly as possible. As always, the press would always ask questions. Why was Robin outside of Jump? What case was he working on? Why is he looking for a British gentleman named William Wintergreen?

He screeched to a halt in the parking lot of the racetracks. This reminded him too much of Gotham City's underground back when he was a kid. Unlike Jump City, which was usually free of smog, this city was full of it. Smog cast the place in a delicate shade of ochre. The chain-link fence surrounding the racetracks was rusted with age. Trash—broken beer bottles, cigarette butts, and discarded tobacco packs—littered the dirt ground, which was covered with sparse yellow grass. Middle-aged men leaned against a wall and talked politics, smoke trailing out of the end of their cigarettes. He almost expected one of the GCPD's police blimps to float overhead.

Dick swung off of his motorcycle and took off his helmet. He ran a hand through his hair—flattened by the helmet—and then put on an old brown newsboy hat he had found at the bottom of his closet. It was a decade out of date, but it was something his father bought for him years ago.

The wooden stadium shook slightly as a stampede of racehorses sped through. A deafening roar of enthusiasm rose from the crowds as gamblers cheered for their favorites. He joined the small line and stuck his hands deep in his pockets.

Without the mask he felt vulnerable. Back when he was continuously switching from Robin to Dick Grayson it seemed as though he was taking on two distinct personalities. One was the orphaned acrobat and the other a wise-cracking sidekick. Now that he was older and away from Bruce it seemed as though the two had held melded into one. Without the mask, he felt exposed.

When he approached the cashier he leaned on the counter and pushed the brim of his hat up, revealing his bright blue eyes.

"I'm looking for Will Jacobs," Dick said. "Is he around?"

The cashier chewed a toothpick as he looked him up and down in distrust. Just beyond the front desk were the numbers runners and bookies working frantically before the next race. They argued amongst each other as they calculated the odds of winning for each horse competing. Telephones rang continuously as people called in to place their bets.

"What business do you have with him, kid?"

"It's private."

The cashier chewed methodically on his toothpick.

"Go away, kid," the cashier said, "unless you're placing a bet, which I'm sure you ain't doing."

People behind him began to peer ahead, annoyed that Dick was holding up the line. The man behind Dick jostled him.

"If you're not going to bet then get away, punk."

Dick moved away from the line and went straight for the door leading inside. At once the cashier leaned back to speak with one of the men inside in an alarmed voice. A man—presumably part of security—opened the door and towered over Dick menacingly.

"What are ya trying to do, kid? Get lost!"

In one swift move Dick caught the man by the scruff of the neck and slammed him against the brick wall. He honestly didn't have time for this crap. Not when someone was attacking the Titans. Dick shoved his arm against the man's neck and pinned him to the wall. The man's eyes widened at the sudden attack, as though asking "where did _that_ come from?"

People in line turned to stare as Dick set his mouth in a grimace, tightening his hold on the man as he struggled. Even when he was in costume, Dick never looked like much of an intimidating figure. No one expected much from him. People always seemed surprised that such a skinny kid—a little short for his age—could be such a threat.

"Tell Mr. Jacobs that he knows me," Dick said. "Tell him that Richard is here to see him. We have a mutual friend we need to discuss."

Too bad book-keeping wasn't illegal in California like it was in Gotham, then Dick could let out some of his frustration on the bookies. Of course, criminals in Gotham could make _anything_ illegal. Hell, the Joker could make a friggin' squirt gun into an acid-spitting machine gun of doom.

"Hey!"

Two of the numbers runners working in the back room came out to see what the fuss was about. At the sight of Dick they drew their guns and pointed them at him. If they meant to intimidate him, then it didn't work. In Dick's line of profession he was shot at all the time.

"Let him go, kid," one of the men growled. "Or we'll call the cops."

Not wanting to make too much of a scene, Dick let the man go. He walked straight towards the men, completely unperturbed by the guns, and jabbed a finger at one of them.

"I want to talk to Will Jacobs. British gentlemen, maybe you know him?" Dick smiled grimly. "Tell him that Richard is here. We need to talk about a mutual friend."

"Who do you think you are, punk?" the man snarled. "Barging in here like that?"

Although Dick wanted to talk with his fists, he forced himself to keep his cool. He had the ability to beat these guys to a pulp, but being a hero meant that he had to know discretion.

"My identity doesn't matter. Just call your boss, he'll know what's going on."

After considering Dick for a good minute the man took a walkie-talkie out of his belt.

"Will," the man said into his walkie-talkie, keeping a hand on the butt of his gun. "There's some kid here who wants to see you. Says his name is Richard."

He let go of the call button and waited for a reply. For a moment no one answered, but Dick could hear someone breathing on the other end. Surely, he had given the man enough information to guess who he was.

"I'll be there."

The three men gazed at Dick in shock. Dick straightened his jacket with a sharp jerk.

About a minute later an older gentleman stepped from the back room. William Wintergreen looked exactly as Dick remembered him. Tall and gaunt, with a small white mustache. Wintergreen paused as Dick lifted his head. He knew as soon as they made eye contact that the man recognized him.

"Come into the back room," Wintergreen said, gesturing for him to follow.

Dick walked into the building, the cashiers turning in their seats to get a better look at him. He avoided their gaze and pulled the brim of his cap down. Dick hoped that no one recognized him. Some of the bookies drawing up quick charts stopped what they were doing, but quickly continued working at a glare from Wintergreen.

They walked into an office.

"Give us some privacy, John," Wintergreen said to the man. "I know who he is."

John shot Wintergreen a puzzled look before stepping back and shutting the door shut. Wintergreen went behind his desk and looked at him.

"I never expected you to find me here, Richard," Wintergreen said, "although I don't suppose you're here to bet on Big Blue."

"I need to talk to you."

"Of course. Let's sit down, have a cup of tea, and talk."

 **-BB-**

The haunt.

Beast Boy began sniffing around the destroyed lair, his long ears trailing on the dusty floor. He _really_ didn't want to be here after what he's seen last night. After a few minutes he transformed back into a human.

"What are we looking for again?"

"Anything that would require a combination lock or a password," Raven said, "Slade left Robin a message."

"And what makes you think that we'll understand it?" Beast Boy asked, rather annoyed. "It was meant for him, after all."

"It's more like a code."

"He's working on a different lead," Cyborg said. "One that might actually help us."

Huh.

Beast Boy now felt terrible for complaining about Robin's intense secrecy. If Slade had drawn _him_ in as an apprentice Beast Boy would have cracked. He reasoned that some could consider self-preservation a form of cowardice. Robin had every chance to refuse, to give in just to stop the torture.

Perhaps that was why Slade chose Robin in the first place.

He couldn't even begin to image how it felt to be completely helpless—and at the mercy of an arch-enemy. Yeah, he always supposed it would be awesome to have a deliciously vibrant rivalry with a villain. Just like how he always wanted to go solo. Could he handle it? Probably not.

That video had proved otherwise. Robin and Slade's rivalry was not one of witty banter and theatrical fights, but one of tangible hatred. Pure, raw hatred on Robin's part.

And for good reason as well.

Beast Boy sighed heavily. "We've looked _everywhere."_

"We probably missed a few rooms," Cyborg said, fiddling around with a broken computer. "We're going to have to call Robin. He knows the layout of this place better than we do."

Robin had said that Slade knew everything about his past. If that happened to Beast Boy…

His own parents were dead. Garfield Logan was left behind with the Doom Patrol. One of the things he liked about being a Titan was that no one asked about your past. Yeah, everything was locked away safely in the databases, but everyone was trusted and accepted without much regard for past actions.

"Yeah I guess we'll h—Star?" Beast Boy turned around. Where was she? "Where did Starfire go?"

Beast Boy pushed one the broken gears away from his face. Even though it was warm outside in Jump it was frightfully chilly in the haunt. This place was also quite a labyrinth; since he had only been in the main room before Beast Boy never realized how big the place was. And how many television screens could one guy have? His electricity bill must have been a nightmare.

Beast Boy found Starfire huddling in a corner.

"Star?" He asked hesitantly. "Are you okay?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. Her face was shiny with tears.

"Starfire," Beast Boy said, confused. "You shouldn't be sitting there. The floor's dirty…you shouldn't…"

Without a word of explanation she threw her arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder. Beast Boy didn't have to ask to know what was bothering her. He awkwardly held her in his arms. She was much taller than he was.

"It's okay, Star," he said awkwardly. "He's fine now. Slade's gone."

Poor Star.

"How could he have done this?" Starfire exclaimed. "Why did Robin allow himself to be treated in such a degrading way?"

She knew the reason why, but it seemed as though she just couldn't accept it. The others gathered around them.

"I do not wish to be here!" she exclaimed. "Beast Boy is right: we have searched and found nothing."

Her tearful sobs echoed loudly in the large common room. Cyborg put an arm around her and glanced towards Raven, who was standing alone a few feet away.

"Raven…" Cyborg said. "Come on."

Grudgingly, she walked over towards them.

The four remaining Titans stood with their arms around each other. Slade's video had done the trick. He wanted them to watch it so that they feel like this. Lost. Confused. Hurt. It was proof that he was a ruthless monster and a formidable enemy.

Beast Boy himself felt a great emptiness deep inside him. Although he could not imagine how it felt to be mercilessly beaten into the floor, he could be a good friend and try to feel Robin's pain. No matter what Slade said or what he knew, Slade would never know Robin as a friend. Slade could know Robin's secret identity, his past, his family, but Slade would never get to know Robin as a person.

If that video had proven anything, it proved that Robin cared very deeply for the people he loved.

"We're going to find whoever did this," Cyborg said. "Let's keep looking."

 **-R-**

"Do you want sugar?"

"Sure."

Dick watched Wintergreen pour him a cup of tea. Although he wasn't much of a fan of tea he was only being polite. They sat across from each other.

"I suppose you're not here to be nostalgic, Richard," Wintergreen said. "You and I both know that Slade is dead. So why are you here?"

Dick played with a napkin, almost unsure of what to ask first. The last time he saw Wintergreen was when he left the haunt to steal from Wayne Enterprises. When he returned after the fight with the Titans Wintergreen was nowhere to be found. After injecting himself with the probes and soundly defeating Slade with the help of the Titans, Robin feared for Wintergreen's life the moment Slade destroyed the haunt.

"Slade left me more than just bruises, Wintergreen. He left me memories I can never forget."

"And do you believe that I can help you forget?" Wintergreen asked, his eyes narrowing. "Help you heal just like I healed your contusions?"

"No." Dick shifted in his chair and glanced to the side. "No I don't.

To fill in the awkward silence Dick lifted the teacup to his lips and blew softly to cool it down. He didn't know why he just said that. Dick was here on business, not to reminisce about his time with Slade. Yet as he looked upon the former butler, Dick could not help but talk.

"Why did Slade chose me?"

"For many reasons," Wintergreen replied, "you know most of them."

Even after contemplating the man for many sleepless nights, Robin still didn't quite understand Slade's motivations. He wanted Robin as his son, but treated him like crap. He wanted someone to follow in his footsteps, but how could an unwilling apprentice do so? Slade was a walking contradiction. Wintergreen's tone suggested that he didn't quite understand either. So Robin posed another question.

"Why did you leave Slade?"

"I left soon after the Titans defeated him and you left. I knew that he was on a downward spiral the moment he met Markov."

"Why?"

"I was his best friend. His best man. Although I cared for him I knew he was going someplace I couldn't follow."

Best man? Slade was a married man? How strange.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I didn't approve of what he did to you and that Markov girl." Wintergreen cupped his hands around his teacup. "He became _obsessed."_

How very true. But in the end it was Slade's obsession with him that allowed Dick to defeat him and escape. It was his obsession with Robin that Dick hated the most. Any other villain would have been pleased just to defeat him, but not Slade. Slade had to go digging into his past to keep his apprentice emotionally bound to him.

Dick found himself looking at Wintergreen's knobby hands.

 _Slade nudged Robin's fallen figure. When he didn't move Slade bent down and peeled off the mask. The boy wonder's eyes were closed shut, but his chest rose and fell slowly in the deep rhythm of unconsciousness._

 _"Good work, Sir," Wintergreen said sarcastically as he strode into the room, "you've managed to knock him unconscious. I'm sure he'll listen to you now."_

 _Robin's eyes fluttered open. With grim determination he tried to move, but found that he couldn't without pain racking through his body. He remembered what he had said to Slade and the beating that followed. Although he could hardly move he did not regret saying it._

 _Not one bit._

 _"Get up," Slade said._

 _He struggled to push himself to his hands and knees. It was strange, sometimes. Strange that he sometimes wanted Slade to beat him up. It made him feel like less of a traitor. Robin's arms shook as he put some weight on them, but then he eventually collapsed back to the floor. After two more failed attempts to stand up he had to admit defeat. Robin held up a hand._

 _"H..help."_

 _"You can get up yourself," Slade said._

 _As Slade strode away Wintergreen knelt down next to Robin. Gingerly, so as not to hurt him, Wintergreen lifted the boy to his feet. Robin found himself leaning heavily on the older man for support. His eyes were nearly sealed shut from the purple bruises marring his face. Robin could hardly see anything aside from Wintergreen's hand, which was old and knobby._

"Obsessed and sadistic," Dick said, pausing to drink the tea, "I don't understand why you worked for him."

"Don't be so quick to judge, although I suppose that you do have good reason to. Slade and I used to be in the military together. I saved his life. He saved mine."

Slade was a military man? That would explain a lot. But there were still questions that needed answers about Slade's past. Even though Dick wanted to ask about Slade's past, it would do nothing to help his search for who triggered the dust.

"There was dust in Slade's mask," Dick said. "Someone triggered it and almost caused me to lose my mind. Do you know anything about it?"

"Yes, I know about the dust." Wintergreen sipped his tea. "He installed it as a precaution. If anyone was stupid enough to take off his mask he would drive them insane."

The man was _that_ paranoid. But Robin had that mask for a good while before the dust was triggered. If Slade wanted to drive Robin insane why didn't he just trigger the dust? It would have been a lot easier than sending Terra after him.

"Do you know who triggered it?"

"No. I do not. Like I said, I left him not long after you did."

"Did you trigger it?"

Wintergreen shot him a cold glare. "No."

"I'm sorry. I have to ask."

Dick slumped a little in his seat. If Wintergreen was to be trusted—and he was sure he could be, even if he was Slade's former butler—then there was nothing else that could be said. He was completely baffled as to how to go about solving this mystery now.

"I don't have anything personal against you," Wintergreen said. "I owed Slade for saving my life. Even if I disagreed with what he did I stood by his side because I was his best friend."

Before Dick could respond his communicator buzzed. Startled, he took it out of his pocket and looked at Wintergreen. The older man shrugged. Dick disabled the video component before flipping it open to answer.

"We found something and we're back at the haunt," Cyborg said. "We need you here."

Back at Slade's haunt? What were they doing back there? From across the desk Wintergreen's eyes narrowed.

"I'll be there," Dick said, "just give me a few minutes."

He knew that it was rude to leave, but Wintergreen probably had things to do. Appointments to make, numbers to run, and a book-keeping business to run.

"I have to go," Dick said, standing up. "Thank you for the tea and for your time."

Dick sighed deeply. Back to square one. Hopefully the Titans found something useful to further their search. Wintergreen stood up as well.

"I do hope you figure out who did it." Wintergreen took out a pen and began to write on the back of a business card. "Here's someone who may help."

Dick looked at the name. "Adeline Kane."

Wintergreen nodded.

"As a last resort, Richard."

Dick opened his wallet and placed the business card inside. With a final nod he left the room. Was his time with Wintergreen completely worthless? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Who was Adeline Kane and what was her connection to Slade? Dick didn't know, but if he came to another dead end he would pay her a visit.

It was time to be a hero again.

* * *

 **A/N:** Haha, they finally found Wintergreen!

I was excited to write the first scene of this chapter, but found it a little hard to write for some reason. I just felt like I couldn't do it enough justice. THE ANGST! It's too much, but I love it.

Also, the scene with the Titans investigating Slade's haunt: I know it's a hugfest, but how else can they respond to something like that?

I wanted to invoke the _film noir_ feeling that the Batman: Animated Series had with the racetracks scene and with Dick's newsboy hat (I personally think newsboy hats are ADORABLE) that he wore as a kid in the episode "Robin's Reckoning."

Also tell me if you think Wintergreen is a little OOC. To me, he's sort of a gray character, and I'm just rolling with what he said in The Judas Contract about Slade's obsession with the Titans.

Oh, and please clog up my inbox with more reviews.


	12. Missives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I'm looking at my Watchmen poster. Watchmen, which I don't own. Watchmen, which belongs to DC Comics. Just like Teen Titans.

**Disclaimer:** I'm looking at my Watchmen poster. Watchmen, which I don't own. Watchmen, which belongs to DC Comics. Just like Teen Titans.

Sob.

 **A/N:** Okay, I will admit that I took elements from Rena Redhead's story What? Because Rena is awesome and a genius when it comes to Robin/Slade stories. All credit goes to her idea of Robin's "seamless" room. I just really liked the idea.

* * *

Chapter 11: Missives

 **-S-**

About twenty minutes later Robin walked into the haunt. He must have been speeding to get back so quickly. By then Starfire had calmed down considerably. She used the meditation techniques Raven had taught her to help control her unbridled emotions. Starfire knew that her sadness would spread like a virus among the others.

He did not seem like his usual determined self, which was something that Starfire was both glad and worried about. His very gait suggested that his efforts to locate Wintergreen did not go well. Robin's movements seemed a little slow and despondent, and his head hung a little lower than usual. He usually carried an air of determination, with his chest thrust forward and his shoulders thrown back.

Being back in Slade's lair probably didn't help.

"Was your meeting successful?" Starfire asked.

"Somewhat," he replied curtly. "But Wintergreen knows nothing about who triggered the chemical reagent."

"Is Wintergreen to be trusted?" Cyborg asked. "I mean, he used to be Slade's butler."

Robin shot Cyborg a cold glare. "He can be trusted."

He sighed and gazed around the haunt. Since the overhead lights weren't working they were working in semi-darkness. Now that Starfire had calmed down she looked around at her surroundings. Was this the room where Slade's video took place?

"Wintergreen was the one who helped me cope…somewhat…while I was with Slade. I mean, I didn't talk much to him but he would patch me up. If Slade beat me he would leave me on the ground. Wintergreen always helped me back to my feet." Robin put a hand to his side, as though remembering an old war wound. "And if he really had a grudge against me, then he would have sold my identity to other villains a long time ago."

Well, there was nothing to say to that. Robin shook his head slightly and spoke

"So why are we here?"

"Slade didn't just plant that video to taunt you," Raven said. "He left you a message."

Robin's face went blank. Starfire could not deduce what the Boy Wonder was thinking. He seemed to be considering his words carefully, as well as his sanity.

"What kind of message?"

Raven proceeded to tell him about the numbers on the bottom of the screen and of her theory that it must be a password. He listened to her carefully as he rubbed his chin.

"I know where to look."

The others followed him down one of the many passageways. Robin stopped in the middle of a hallway and began to feel the wall to his right. He pressed an ear to the wall and tapped it lightly with his fist.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Beast Boy asked.

"If there's one room Slade knew I would never look in," Robin said, tapping the wall, "it would be this one."

"What room would that be?"

The Boy Wonder stepped back and kicked at the wall. A loud echoing sound resounded. Robin then went up to the wall and pressed on the wall. A section of the wall slid open.

"My room."

No one stepped forward to join him. Starfire didn't know why she didn't want to come into the room. It was rather like stepping into the parents' master bedroom while one's parents are still asleep… it just seemed inherently wrong.

"Star…" Robin said, holding out a hand towards her. "Everything will be all right."

He tried to smile.

Nothing about this was right. He knew it and everyone else knew it.

It was a small room with no windows. Everything in the room had a muted color to it, from the ochre walls to the musty black bed sheets on the cot pushed into the corner. The little furniture in the room was coated thickly with dust. From the way everything looked, it seemed as though the room had just been abandoned. Just like a frozen moment in time.

Little bottles of rubbing alcohol and penicillin were set next to a first aid kit resting on top the dresser, along with a syringe and a box of gauzes. Starfire tore her gaze away from these medical instruments and looked around the room. The bed was made, the black sheets tucked tightly underneath the mattress in a military fashion.

Robin stood in the center of the small room, his shoulders hunched as he stared at the ground.

"Robin…" Starfire said, her tone hesitant. "Are you all right?"

She went to his side and grasped his hand in hers. Starfire found that his hand was closed into a fist, but as soon as she touched him he relaxed. Slowly, his fingers uncurled themselves and allowed her to entwine her fingers in his. Robin clung to her as though she was an anchor to reality, and if she let go he would spiraling back into his nightmarish oblivion.

"I wish I could say I was."

His other hand crept up to rub his temple. Starfire understood what it felt like to be so afraid. She herself was afraid of the Gordanians launching a massive attack on Tamaran. Blackfire was her own arch-nemesis. But at the end of the day Starfire could still cheerfully wave her sister goodbye as Blackfire sprouted obscenities at her in Tamaranean. Robin could do no such thing. For one, it wasn't in his nature. Two, Blackfire did not do anything against her unless there was something in it for her.

Raven used her powers to close the door behind them. At once a sense of claustrophobia enveloped Starfire. The room suddenly seemed cramped and intimidating. When she looked back she saw that the door blended in completely with the walls. No way in. No way out.

"Whoa…" Beast Boy said, stepping back to look at the door. "The door…"

"Yeah," Robin said, "the door was made to blend into the walls, just like the outside."

"But why?" Starfire asked.

"So I wouldn't escape. And if you guys ever broke into the haunt you would have never found me."

Clever. The Titans had walked by that stretch of wall at least a dozen of times as they searched the haunt. She could understand why Robin did not mention it before. This was not a place of happy memories. This was his prison. Talking about his prison would be like her talking about her prison abroad the ship as a prisoner of the Gordanians.

"Please open the door," Robin said. "It's not locked, but still…"

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. She was glad that he suggested the open door. As a natural flier she longed for the open skies, to feel the joy of flight like a Tamaranean newborn. Even if she knew next-to-nothing about Robin's past she did know him well enough to understand that he also felt this way.

No one was supposed to be caged up like a song bird. She remembered Robin once saying that Slade wanted to bring out his full potential—that Batman had been holding him back. As Starfire looked around this tiny prison she could not help but feel that that comment was a contradiction. To fully blossom one should have as much as freedom as possible and loving encouragement. It was pretentious of Slade to think of himself as Robin's _knorfka._

Yes, Starfire was different from Robin. But she felt a keen sense of shared empathy for how he felt. She was captured and imprisoned just like he had been. The only difference was that she managed to escape before she could become a servant of the Citadel. Just the mere thought of a lifetime of involuntary servitude caused her to fly into a rage.

She watched in silence as Robin began to rummage around the room. He pulled open all of the drawers and took out all of his cloths. He stacked them neatly on the cot. They looked innocent enough: black shirts, pants, but everything was stamped with Slade's insignia.

"So…" he said to himself in a lowered voice. "My hunch was correct."

He reached inside of the drawer and pulled out a small box. Slade's "S" insignia was stamped across the lid. As soon as Robin picked the box up a tiny screen lit up. At first everyone tensed, thinking it another one of Slade's tricks, but Robin shook his head.

"It's just a touch-screen, guys. He wouldn't kill me" He turned to Raven. "What were the numbers you found?"

"15-39-28."

He set the numbers in. The safe clicked softly open. With some hesitation Robin lifted the lid open. Everyone leaned in to get a closer look. Starfire heard Robin take in a sharp intake of breath. He placed a hesitant hand inside the box and drew out an old piece of paper.

"What is it?" Cyborg asked.

"Nothing…" Robin replied, folding the paper and sticking it into his pocket. "Just another reference to my past."

It wasn't nothing, and Starfire knew that everyone else thought the same.

"Hello Robin," Slade's voice said, obviously a recorded message. "I see that you managed to find this. Excellent work. It's touching that you paid such close attention to my missive."

She knelt down next to him and put an arm around his shoulders.

"I'm assuming that you are here in the haunt and in your room. Take a look around you. This brings back memories, doesn't it? Perhaps I am feeling nostalgic.

"There are many things I wish to talk about with you. I wish that I had recognized your talent before Batman did, although of course I wasn't around in Gotham at the time. Even though Terra is my apprentice now I want to let you know that you were always the perfect apprentice. Intelligent, naturally athletic, determined…of course, you were never intelligent enough to take an opportunity when you see it.

"Terra knows nothing about our former partnership. Not that that matters anymore. But just as you cannot be in peace until you bring me to justice so I will never be in peace. As I retrospect on our time together I mourn the things I had yet to teach you. Perhaps you may be thinking that it was unfair that I knew everything about you while you knew nothing about me. And believe me, I do know the identity of your mentor as well as yourself. If you wish to know my identity you will have to come to me. But you're a clever boy. I 'm sure you'll do everything in your power to figure out who I am.

"Perhaps you'll work together with your mentor or even the Justice League. But you know me better than any of those 'heroes.' You know that I will always be one step ahead of you no matter what you do. Terra is more than capable of annihilating your friends, but if you do not wish to be annihilated yourself then you will come back to me. Remember the basics."

Sparks flew out of the safe as the recording ended.

 **-C-**

It was late afternoon by the time they came back to Titans Tower.

This latest trip to Slade's haunt unnerved Cyborg. It was one thing to go to Slade's lair when Robin wasn't there and another to go to listen to Slade taunt Robin. He wondered how Robin was really handling this. The kid was obviously unsettled, but was so stubborn that he didn't—or couldn't—express his inner angst.

Like his mentor, though, Robin just sucked it up and acted as if nothing was bothering him. He wasted no time in organizing a team meeting.

"Who benefits?" Robin mumbled. "That's the question we need to ask ourselves."

Robin took out a sharpie and began writing down names on a poster board: Brother Blood (The HIVE), Scarecrow, Joker, and Slade. Cyborg thought about saying something about Slade's name, but decided to keep his mouth shut. What with all that Robin was going through right now…it would be better just not to mention it.

For now.

"What are we, back in third grade?" Beast Boy mumbled.

"I can't figure this out on my own," Robin admitted. "I need all of your input."

"Brother Blood benefits because he's our current concern," Cyborg said. "But Blood is…how should I put it… _loquacious._ The dude loves to hear the sound of his own voice. If he was behind this he would shove it in our faces."

He knew Brother Blood better than anyone in this room. While Slade had been intensely secretive Brother Blood was like a cult leader. There was nothing more he loved to do than play the big villain just for the attention. If Brother Blood was behind this then it was just another reason for Cyborg to go out and kick his butt.

"What about one of the Bat-villains?" Cyborg asked. "You talked about Scarecrow…"

"No, now I don't think it's Scarecrow." Robin sighed. "I wanted so much to believe that it was him. But he doesn't benefit."

"Your rivalry with Slade wasn't exactly a secret, Robin," Cyborg said. "Anyone who read the papers would know. Anyone could have triggered that dust to mess with your head."

"Terra's betrayal wasn't a secret either," Robin said. "Whoever is attacking us knows our history. Beast Boy and I were attacked first because our history is well-known. I worked with Batman and he worked with the Doom Patrol."

Cyborg briefly thought of his own history. Unlike Robin, he had a life he was completely content with before he became half-metal.

"Are you suggesting that whoever triggered the reagent and vandalized Terra's tomb is going after all of us?" Raven asked.

"Yes. So I want you all to think about your histories. What would someone do to attack you personally?"

His first thought was of Brother Blood. But if Robin was asking about his personal history, then Cyborg would have to go with STAR labs. How he became a cyborg in the first place. As a half-robot he couldn't really hide his identity, but as far as he knew no one on the team knew it. Or, at least, no one called him by his real name.

"And Slade's happy trail of bread crumbs?" Raven asked. "What about that?"

"I'll deal with it."

"You shouldn't be going after Slade. He left those clues to mess with you."

"He made them on the assumption that Terra wouldn't betray him. It wouldn't hurt t—"

" _You just can't help it, can you?"_ Cyborg exclaimed, now unable to contain himself. "Why can't you just let him go?"

That night with the dust Robin admitted that it was to let Slade go. Of course, Cyborg knew that the obsession wouldn't just end overnight. Yet this was getting ridiculous. Was Cyborg acting cold towards Robin, considering what the kid had been through the past few days? Maybe.

"It's hard to let something like Slade go," Robin said finally. "You've seen proof of what he did to me."

Cyborg gazed down at his leader. Yes, he admired Robin's courage. But this obsession was eating away at his mind.

"What about Gotham's clown?" Beast Boy asked. "The Joker?"

"The Joker's the definition of psychotic," Robin said, "but he has more fun playing with Batman. So unless he's messing with me to get through to Batman, then I'd take him off the list. Whoever is messing with us has this too planned out. Joker's smart in his own twisted way, but I don't think he has the patience to plan out something like this."

"What about Cinderblock?" Beast Boy piped up. "How did he escape from prison?"

Now _that_ was a thought.

"Are you suggesting that someone released Cinderblock on purpose?"

"Cinderblock is too stupid to break out on his own. He's always been someone's lackey."

Who benefits? That was a good question to ask.

"I'll call Jump's Maximum Security Prison and ask how he got out," Cyborg said. "We'll figure this out, Robin."

"We have no other choice."

 **-BB-**

He walked into Terra's room. Most of her things were in boxes, but it seemed as though no one could yet force themselves to throw them away. Beast Boy knew that he couldn't make himself do it. There was still that slim hope that—somehow—they could reverse the effect.

The walls were still painted to look like the desert at night. It had been his idea to make the room look like that. Terra liked the outdoors, but she needed a home. Together he and Starfire had painted the walls as they listened to classic rock.

He knelt down next to one of the boxes and opened it. Stuff from her desk was piled inside of this one. He reached inside and pulled out a blue butterfly hair clip. On the day he first met her she had that in her hair.

Even from the beginning, Beast Boy thought that she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Beast Boy set down the hair clip back in the box. He loved her but knew nothing about her. What had been a façade and what had been real?

There were plenty of things he didn't know about Terra. As he looked around her sad empty bedroom a thought crossed his mind. How could the others be sure that the invader didn't steal anything from Terra's room?

What kind of information did Terra give Slade anyway? She didn't have the skills to hack into the main database, but what could she have gleaned from information not locked away under strict security?

Hmm.

Well, it was common knowledge that Robin used to work with Batman. His exploits with Gotham's Dark Knight is easy to find _anywhere_ online. But Terra probably didn't have to give Slade so much information, since Slade already knew Robin's past. Therefore, she would have probably focused much of her attention on the other four Titans.

Beast Boy's own history was easy enough to find, since he was the only other Titan besides Robin who fought publicly as a superhero. As Raven so kindly pointed out at their first encounter, his secret identity wasn't much of a secret because of his green skin. He also realized with a pang that he told most of his personal history to Terra himself, all of which she probably relayed to Slade.

As for the others…well, their histories were a little more tough to get into. Star's files were probably all written in Tamaranean. Even though Cyborg was his best friend Beast Boy realized that he knew next to nothing about his history. The most that he knew was that Cyborg's…well…cyborg status was an involuntary one. Some sort of accident caused him to be this way. And there was probably no way that Terra could have gotten anything about Raven.

"15-39-28…" he mumbled.

Slade left Robin those magic numbers for him to find. What if that safe wasn't the only thing those numbers opened? It was just a thought. If Beast Boy happened to find something in here that helped their search, then it was a long shot that Slade would use the same password again.

His communicator rang.

Startled, Beast Boy opened his communicator and found Rita on the other end.

"Garfield, Steve is about to call you," she said. "Go to your laptop and answer."

"You didn't have to call me," Beast Boy said, somewhat annoyed.

"I know you won't answer if you know it's him."

Beast Boy straightened as he heard the faint tinkle of his webcam ringtone from the other end of the hall. He didn't have a reason _not_ to answer this call. He hung up on Rita and began to walk back to his messy room. Sure enough, Steve's face was waiting for him on his open laptop.

"Steve…" Beast Boy said, his ears drooping. "What are you doing?"

Even though Steve's face took up most of the screen, Beast Boy could see the other members of the Doom Patrol lurking in the background. All of them: Larry, Cliff, and Rita were listening in on the conversation.

"I know we haven't talked in a long time, kid," Steven said. "But I feel like we need to."

Steve looked around his bedroom and frowned.

"Did a bomb go off in here? Your room is a pigsty."

"No."

Did Mento have to criticize _everything?_ This was why he left the Doom Patrol in the first place. Yeah, his teammates criticized him sometimes, but this was different. He may be the youngest member on the team, but he wasn't stupid.

"You should clean up."

Already, he had had enough.

 _"Don't tell me what to do, Steve!"_ Beast Boy snapped.

His voice rose angrily. Almost at once Beast Boy heard footsteps pounding outside in the hallway. Robin stopped in front of the open door, the eyes of his mask wide.

"Beast Boy!" Robin exclaimed. "What's going on?"

Steven turned to look at Robin through the webcam.

"So, you're the Bat's protégée," Steve said.

 _"Former_ protégée," Robin replied, his voice hardening. "I assume that you're Mento. Good to meet you too."

Beast Boy could tell from Robin's tone of voice that he hated being associated with Batman. As for Steve, the Doom Patrol was never really as big as the Justice League. They didn't have so many reserve members or argue pointlessly. The Doom Patrol, rather like the Teen Titans, was more like a family.

"I'm talking to Beast Boy, not to you. I don't care who you are or who your mentor is."

"Beast Boy…" Robin began.

"This is family business," Beast Boy said, cutting Robin off. "It's just—"

"Do you have something substantial to say about Tara Markov, Robin?"

Did Mento _really_ have to bring her up? Both Robin and Beast Boy could tell from Mento's tone that he disapproved of Terra.

"Who are you to judge, Mento?" Robin asked. "Even the JSA and the JLA members called to say their deepest sympathies."

That much was true. Beast Boy had been surprised when he found sympathy cards and flowers in the mail. Although there were many Terra-haters out there some people forgave her because she managed to bring down Slade. Apparently Mento was not of the latter group.

"The JLA is ruled too much by petty politics," Mento replied. "As is the Justice Society. We don't work to make the headlines like the Kryptonian and the Bat, we work to enact justice and to bring down the Brotherhood of Evil."

Always the determined one. Although Beast Boy was proud of his work with the Doom Patrol he knew that they could never be as big or as popular as the Justice League of America. While he admired Steve's dedication to eradicate evil he always hated his militaristic approach to fighting crime.

"Robin…" Beast Boy said. "Please go…"

He knew that Robin's relationship with Terra had been complicated, mostly because of Slade. But even though Robin honored her memory just as much as the others Beast Boy didn't want the boy wonder butting in on this conversation. Yes, Robin meant well, but Beast Boy needed to talk to Mento alone.

Robin shot Beast Boy a concerned expression before leaving the room.

"I heard things about that kid," Mento said, nodding towards the closed door. "I heard he used with work for Deathstroke."

First Terra and now Robin? This was unfair! Steve had no right to criticize what he knew almost nothing about.

"You know nothing about us, Steve."

"So he did work for Deathstroke."

"That's not the point!" Beast Boy fumed. Was this how Robin felt talking to Batman? Did he have to defend his team, who everyone thought of as amateurs even after _all_ they've been through? "Unlike you, Robin and Terra were willing to give up everything to save their friends."

The other Doom Patrol members exchanged uncomfortable glances. Beast Boy was uncomfortably reminded of their last real mission together. Instead of following Steve's orders to destroy the Brain's machine Beast Boy had instead opted to save the Doom Patrol. Only Steve had been angry at this decision.

"That aside, Garfield, she—"

"You didn't know her like I did!" Beast Boy snapped.

"You allowed her to infiltrate your team! She tried to annihilate your team and almost succeeded!"

"He does have a point," Negative Man said in his usual drone. "Deathstroke almost won."

"The Brotherhood of Evil almost won lots of times," Beast Boy replied, "but in the end we won. We held our own." He reached out for the keyboard. "I'm done talking, Steve."

 _"Garfield! Don't you dare hang up on m—"_

Beast Boy closed his laptop.

He went to his window and opened it. After morphing into a hawk he flew outside and drifted slowly down in large loops towards the Towers' rocky foundation. He landed on one of the rocks and sat there silently, wanting nothing more than to enjoy the evening and to think things over.

What if the box of Slade's stuff wasn't everything the invader stole? What if they went into Terra's evidence box and took a look at the stuff in her laptop's hard drive? Or what if they hacked into her email account like Robin did?

"Terra…" Beast Boy said quietly to himself, picking up a flat stone and weighing it in his hands. "What did you know?"

He flung his arm back and watched the rock skid across the glassy surface of the water. The neon lights of Jump City cast iridescent splotches of color upon the water, but the light of the stars above still played upon the surface. The rock skidded once, twice, three times. He found himself smiling.

He was getting better.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hmm…Beast Boy's doing a little bit of detective work!

I thought that the beginning scene would be best told _not_ from Robin's POV, since there was a good deal of his POV in the last chapter. Also because a character other than Robin could notice little details that Robin (in his angsty, tortured state) wouldn't notice.

And I know that Part 2 is supposed to be focusing more on Beast Boy, and I realized that I sort of failed at that while writing the last chapter. However, Robin's POV is important for the overall story (since this is primarily a Robin/Slade story) and it couldn't be helped. I'm also winging it with the Doom Patrol, since all I know about them is from the TV show. I'm kind of unhappy with this chapter, what do you think?

I'm going to try to slow down a little with the updates. Instead of twice a week or more I think I'll go to once a week, preferably Saturday night updates (like 10:00pm-12:00am pacific coast time). Fanfiction is pulling me away from my original fiction.

Stay cool, guys.

If you are reading this then leave a review.


	13. Suspects

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Not owning DC Comics hasn't stopped me from writing fanfiction, so I don't think it matters now…

**Disclaimer:** Not owning DC Comics hasn't stopped me from writing fanfiction, so I don't think it matters now…

I also keep stealing the line "who benefits?" from Identity Crisis.

 **A/N:** So perhaps you're wondering why I'm slowing down on the updates. One, it is in preparation for the time I must go back to school (when I will have no life other than schoolwork). Two, I've also been doing some line-editing on previous chapters. Just patching up some typos I found and unnecessary usage of the passive voice. Three, collaboration webcomic on my DeviantArt account!

* * *

"A death, any death, _diminishes_ us. But when the one who dies is as young as Tara Markov, all humanity must cry. Life offers hope. And Tara Markov's life and abilities could have given the world so much hope. For she had so much to offer, so much to give. Tara Markov—ashes to ashes—dust to dust…"

-A priest. The Judas Contract

* * *

Chapter 12: Suspects

 **-BB-**

This couldn't wait.

He flew to the outskirts of Jump City where Terra had taken him on his ill-fated date the night she betrayed them. The night was still young. He also felt as though he could never be of any help to the others. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Beast Boy felt like he wasn't an asset. What did he know of detective work?

Absolutely nothing.

However, that didn't mean that he couldn't learn. The idea that the intruder had taken more than just Slade's stuff took over Beast Boy's mind. It made sense that he would steal something else.

He transformed back into a human and leapt down in the near-empty parking lot of Ben's Burger joint. Beast Boy swung open the door and heard the faint tinkle of the cowbell hanging at the top of the door frame.

The place smelled like old people. It looked like a place for old people. This probably _was_ a restaurant for old people. But Terra had obviously loved this place for some reason, maybe because it was a cutesy burger joint with pleasant people.

Beast Boy sat on one of the bar stools. An older woman with a giant beehive hairdo ambled up to him. The shocking pink color of the woman's hair seemed almost offensive.

"Pam, right?" Beast Boy asked, his voice hesitant.

The woman nodded silently. Beast Boy sat down and opened up the menu, his face twisting in disgust at the sight of so many meat-filled dishes. Even though Terra had respected his disinclination to eat meat Beast Boy had to grudgingly accept her inclination to be a carnivore.

"I'll have the apple pie," he said.

Pam wrote down the order and went into the back room, shouting orders to the cook. He swung around on the bar stool and ignored the other costumers, who were looking at him oddly. They probably weren't used to seeing a green-skinned kid come in here, especially in this part of town. Some of the older men playing pool stopped what they were doing to look at him.

Just like the first time he had been here, Beast Boy felt out-of-place. At least in Jump City the people were used to giant monsters and alien invaders hopping all over the place. He wished that he had a civilian identity to slip into. It would have made this meeting less awkward.

A few minutes later Pam came back with a plate of apple pie.

 _"This," Beast Boy said, his mouth still full of food, "is the greatest pie in the history of pie."_

"What are you doing back here?" Pam asked. "Shouldn't you be in Jump fighting monsters or something?"

"You knew Terra," he said.

Her face fell at the mention of Terra. Some of the other regulars perked up at the mention of Terra.

"Not personally, but she was a good kid."

"So, you do know about—"

"Yes. I know that she died." She busied herself with cleaning the countertop. "It was all over the news."

Beast Boy's ears drooped. One of the problems with being a superhero was dealing with the media. People online talked about them. Columnists wrote about them. There were even TV talk shows dedicated to superhero gossip.

"I am truly sorry for the loss," Pam said. "I knew her as well. She didn't deserve to die so young."

No one deserves to die so young. This only put Beast Boy in a despondent mood. Even though one attended a lot of funerals in this line of work Beast Boy never thought he would attend the funeral of a fifteen-year-old girl.

It was just wrong.

Terra sacrificed her life, but if Slade hadn't gotten in the way then she would have had the chance to live out her life. If there was anything that Slade seemed to have understood was the potential and hope of the young generation.

"What did you know about her?" he asked. "Did she ever come back here after leaving the Titans?"

"Was that before or after she joined Slade?"

"Before she joined Slade."

After looking around Pam set down her notepad on the counter and spoke in a lowered voice.

"An older gentleman came in here," she said. "Not one of my regulars."

"Who?"

"How should I know?" Pam asked, shrugging. "He didn't say his name, but Terra seemed to know him. Somewhat."

"What did he look like?"

"Late forties, probably early fifties. White hair and a goatee, and what I remember most was that he had a glass eye." Pam paused, grimacing as she tried to remember. "I almost didn't notice it until he looked me straight in the face."

A one-eyed man…

Beast Boy's eyes widened in dawning comprehension. Slade had come to find Terra here _and_ in his civilian identity no less. But why would Slade do that? He didn't even show Robin his identity. Why would…then it hit him. Terra followed Slade because she believed that Slade could give her wanted she needed: security, control…Slade could get her to trust him by revealing his secret identity.

"Did he have a name?"

"Terra didn't call him by his name."

Beast Boy tried to imagine the scene as he listened to Pam tell her story.

 _Terra sat hunched at the counter, slowly eating her way through her meal. Perhaps she felt sad because of Beast Boy's supposed babble to Robin about her inability to control her powers. Pam watched the young teenager from the other end of the room as she took another costumer's order._

 _Although Terra didn't talk much Pam knew from the papers that Terra had a run-in with the Teen Titans in Jump City. A villain named Slade had been involved somehow._

 _The cowbell tinkled._

 _She didn't pay much attention to the newcomer until he sat down next to her. Startled, she lifted her head and looked at the older man sitting next to her. She tensed. Even though she had never met him before Terra felt an odd vibe coming from him._

 _"Good evening, Terra," he said, glancing down at the menu, "I hope you have considered my offer."_

 _Her fork clattered noisily on the plate. Terra moved as though to scramble away, her face fearful._

 _"Y—you're—"_

 _"Yes, my dear."_

 _She searched his face, as though hardly daring to believe that this was the man underneath the mask. Pam walked up to the counter and glared hard at Slade. Who was this man? He obviously made Terra uncomfortable. Should she, perhaps, call the police?_

 _"Terra," Pam said, "who-?"_

 _"It's…it's all right, Pam," Terra said in a reassuring voice. "I know him."_

 _Pam didn't like Slade one bit. Perhaps it was the way he held himself: obviously ex-military, confident, and too polite to be real._

 _"Can I get you anything, sir?" she asked._

 _"A cup of coffee would be fine, Pam."_

 _She didn't like the way he said her name. It was too informal…as though he had researched her before coming in. Pam wrote down his order and shuffled back into the kitchen. Her husband, who was one of the cooks, sidled over to her and looked at the odd pair at the counter._

 _"Who's he?"_

 _"I don't know," Pam said. "But I don't like him."_

 _Pam couldn't hear their conversation from the back room, but every so often she glanced in their direction. It seemed as though Terra's initial shock had calmed down considerably. When Pam came out with the coffee she caught a whiff of their conversation._

 _"But how can I be sure you know what you're doing?" Terra asked. "You don't have any powers."_

 _"It is not a matter of power," Slade said. "It is a matter of the mind."_

 _Pam set down the coffee mug on the countertop. The man seemed completely engrossed in the conversation._

 _"So, Terra, will you accept my help?"_

 _Terra looked down at her plate, thinking. Slade held out a hand to her._

 _"Yes," she replied finally, "I will."_

Beast Boy thought Pam's story over. Here, for the first time ever, was proof of Slade's real identity.

"Did you ever see him again?"

"No."

Would Slade have used his civilian identity? He must. Everyone had to once in a while, even the villains.

Who triggered the dust? If Slade did have something to do with the dust, then why would he want to drive Robin crazy? Was it because Slade felt uber-pissed that Robin got away? Would Slade ever kill Robin? Beast Boy had been present (and in pain) when Robin injected himself with the probes in front of Slade. Slade, for some reason known only to himself and to Robin, couldn't let Robin die.

And Terra?

Although Beast Boy didn't want to admit it, he thought that Slade would have let her die if she got in the way of his plans. Slade put more time and effort into entrapping Robin.

Robin admitted that he and Slade were alike—but he never got fully into that topic with the Titans. Slade just used Terra to hurt the Titans emotionally. Even if this information didn't help the Titans figure out who triggered the dust, it probably would help them reveal Slade's secret identity. At least that would make Robin feel better.

"Thanks," he said sadly, picking up his fork. "You have no idea how much that helped."

She nodded and went back to work.

This time he finished his pie.

 **-R-**

For once, Robin did not feel like investigating this mystery.

He sat at his desk for a couple hours, staring at his notes blankly, before admitting defeat. Robin set Wintergreen's business card against his desk lamp and stared at the name Adeline Kane. If he couldn't think of anything or anyone he would give her a call tomorrow. Perhaps he should look her up first, though…

Robin placed his head on the desk and groaned, a newspaper clipping sticking to the side of his check. What annoyed him more? The fact that the perpetrator was playing with them like puppets? Or the fact that it was working? He looked at the clock. It was almost ten-thirty.

He decided to turn in early.

He set the piece of paper he found in the box on his bedside table. It was an old yellowed advertisement for the Flying Graysons. How had Slade gotten it? Robin didn't know and right now he didn't care.

He peeled off his mask, took off his cape, and leaned back on his bed. Robin placed his arms underneath his head and watched the overhead fan whirl.

Maybe Cyborg was right. Robin was too emotionally compromised to think clearly. But how could he let Slade go?

"The Flying Graysons…" he mumbled. "Wayne Enterprises…"

He closed his eyes. During his whole time with Slade there had been one experience he could never forget; the one experience Slade would never let him forget.

 _"Who knows?" Slade said, grabbing Robin's wrist and snapping the thermal blaster onto his wrist. "I might even become like a father to you."_

 _Something snapped inside of Robin. He raised his head to glare at Slade, insulted by the remark. He backed away, his hands curling into fists. What on earth could make Slade say such a thing? Wasn't it enough for Slade to admit that he wanted an apprentice?_

 _"I already have a father."_

 _Robin allowed himself a bitter smile as he watched Slade stiffen at the comment. So far they had avoided the subject of the Dark Knight. As though on cue bats fluttered overhead towards the open sky window, reminding Robin vividly of Bruce's flying friends in the Bat-cave. His smile faded as Slade loomed over him._

 _"Do you mean Batman?" He asked, his voice low and dangerous. "Hmm, Dick?"_

 _Robin's eyes fell to the thermal blaster on his wrist. Without thinking he raised his hand to aim at Slade's face._ Why not? _He thought,_ he gave it to me in the first place. _He wouldn't kill Slade—of course not—but he would hurt him just enough for Robin to get that controller._

 _Almost at once Slade knocked the blaster out of his face and raced forward, slamming his full weight against Robin's smaller body. There was nothing Robin could do to stop him. His heart raced as Slade's fist found his stomach._

 _Slade grabbed Robin's wrist and flung him against the wall. Robin twisted and struggled against Slade's grip, yelping in pain as Slade slapped him across the face. Despite himself, Robin burst into an uncharacteristic bought of laughter. Was Slade really_ that _jealous of Batman? Who knew that Slade wanted a son so badly?_

 _His laughter was cut short as Slade hit him again, sending him reeling back to reality. The man was pissed and so was Robin. Slade had him pinned to the wall by the wrists. Robin grimaced at the pain, now sure that his wrists were purple with bruises, but he held his own._

 _"Why Robin…"Slade said, his tone calm and amused. "That was a little dark for you. I'm impressed."_

 _Robin was sick of Slade's mind games. Every time he raised a rebellious fist Slade became either pissed or pleased—sometimes both. Just because Robin fought back didn't mean that he was becoming more like Slade. In this line of profession,_ everyone _had to fight dirty at one point or another. He drew his knees to his chest and attempted to kick Slade away._

 _"Shove off, Slade!"_

 _Slade lifted him off the wall and slammed him against it. He squirmed in pain and forced himself not to yelp. Dick had now been with Slade long enough to realize that the villain wouldn't kill him. Slade didn't want an apprentice for the sake of passing down his talents. He wanted control, and he wouldn't get control from a dead apprentice. Slade let go of Robin's wrists and wrapped a hand around his neck, forcing Robin to look at him._

 _"You wouldn't talk to your father that way, would you?"_

 _"I already have a father," Robin hissed, "and you. Are. Not. My. Father."_

 _Sometimes it was just so hard to believe that Slade wouldn't kill him. That was the only reason why Robin dared himself to talk back and goad Slade. In moments like these Robin couldn't help but fear for his life._

 _"Do you mean Bruce?" Slade asked, leaning in close to Robin's face. "The dear old Bat?"_

 _Robin suppressed a desire to spit in Slade's face. He hated the way Slade said Bruce's name in that mocking tone._

 _"Yes," Robin growled, "that is exactly who I am talking about."_

 _So, was Slade scared of Batman? Even if he knew Bruce's identity Bruce could still kick Slade's butt. At least, Robin hoped so. A part of him wanted Batman to come to Jump City to save him from Slade, but another part of him didn't want Batman to get involved at all. Why? He didn't want Batman to save him_ again, _but he also didn't want Slade to hurt Bruce._

 _Slade kneed him in the stomach and let him go. Robin crumpled to the floor and flinched as Slade kicked him in the ribs. He was already so tired from stealing the thermal blaster earlier that night, so tired from fighting Slade, and so tired of the villain's use of psychological warfare. Robin felt Slade's hand press down hard on the back of his neck._

 _"Don't ever do that to me again." Robin squirmed as Slade increased the pressure. "Is that clear?"_

 _He wanted an answer. At first Robin thought that if he said nothing and did nothing, then Slade would eventually go tired of him. But Slade wouldn't let him do that. He wouldn't let Robin become impassive like one of his emotionless Sladebots. He always forced Robin to respond._

 _"Yes, sir," Robin replied weakly._

 _To his relief, Slade stood up and walked away. This time, Slade was lenient. Well, lenient compared to the other beatings. For a moment Robin did not get up from the floor. Frustrated and flustered from being beaten_ again, _Robin just wanted this all to end._

 _"Would you like to know what your next mission is?"_

No, _Robin thought angrily,_ no I don't, Slade.

 _"I would like you to steal something for me," Slade said, pressing a button on a remote control. "A prototype from a company I am sure you are very familiar with."_

 _The tall television screens changed from the footage of the Titans' bloodstreams to security footage. He didn't even have to see the outside of the building to know where it was. Even though this was only an auxiliary building on the other end of the United States it still had the same layout as its twin in Gotham City._

 _Wayne Enterprises._

 _"Slade…" Robin breathed, backing away._

 _His breathing became labored. Robin couldn't do this…not this…anything but this. He thought of what the others would say. What would Bruce say if he broke into Wayne Enterprises? Alfred? Lucius?_

 _"What's the matter, apprentice?"_

 _"I…I can't…anything but this…"_

 _To his dismay he found his knees weakening. Why was he so afraid? Robin was so afraid of Slade terminating his friends yet also afraid of what Bruce would say. Did Slade mean to show him off like a prize dog? To taunt Batman? He gathered what little courage he had left and puffed out his chest._

 _"I won't do it."_

 _Again, it was the wrong thing to say._

 _But Robin was determined to not go through with this. Slade had made that comment about "being like a father" just to flow naturally into the topic of Wayne Enterprises. Slade went to his desk, picked up something, and then strode back to Robin, handing him the paper._

 _It was an old newspaper clipping; an old advertisement for the Mr. Haley's circus. The most anticipated act of the night? Why, the spectacular Flying Graysons! Cold fear washed over him as he thought of Mr. Haley. What if threatening the Titans' lives wasn't enough? What if Slade felt that it was necessary to threaten Mr. Haley and the circus? Bruce? Alfred?_

 _The eyeholes of his mask widened in shock as he looked at up Slade. For that brief moment he looked very much like a frightened child. Slade crossed his arms over his chest._

 _"Who was more of a father to you: John or Bruce?"_

 _It was not only an unfair question, but also another emotional jab. Swallowing hard, Robin forced himself to answer._

 _"Don't bring my parents into thi—"_

 _Slade cut him off._

 _"Answer my question."_

 _Dad or Bruce…Dick stared at the floor. Both men meant everything to him. His father trained him to be an acrobat from birth. Bruce took him in after his parents died even when he didn't have to. Dick could have been shipped off to some random foster family in Gotham, but Bruce felt responsible because it had been his charity performance. And although Dick never called him father he had a close emotional bond with Bruce, mostly because his parents had also been killed by criminals. There was nothing of the sort between him and Slade._

 _"Both. They cannot be compared."_

 _Slade tilted Robin's head upward._

 _"They abandoned you."_

 _"My father did_ not _abandon me!" Robin snarled. "Bruce did_ not _abandon me!"_

 _"Then why isn't he here now? If he cares so much about you then why did he not teach you to defend yourself properly?"_

 _Robin longed to retreat to his sealed room just so he wouldn't hear any more of this. He hated everything about Slade. He hated how Slade controlled him and the Titans. He hated how he mocked Batman. He hated how Slade addressed him by a nickname only close friends called him. But he knew that Slade wanted him to hear this._

 _"You may consider the Bat your father, but I am the one who has control," Slade said, lifting the controller where Robin could see. "You will steal from Wayne Enterprises, Dick. You'll learn to let him go."_

 _Robin was torn between a desire to rebel and a desire to save his friends' lives. Realizing that he couldn't persuade Slade out of this, Robin tried another tactic._

 _"Why are you making me do this?" Dick asked hotly. "Wayne Enterprises doesn't make weapons. Why should you be interested?"_

 _"I'm well aware that Bruce Wayne doesn't allow his company to manufacture weapons. I'm also aware of Batman's no-gun policy." Dick could tell that Slade was smiling under the mask. "Besides, I thought you two had a falling out."_

 _"That doesn't mean that I still don't think of him as my father."_

 _Was that what Slade was counting on? The fact that Batman and Robin were no longer the Dynamic Duo might have caused Slade to look upon Robin with more interest. Did Slade hope to wedge himself between them and widen the crack in their relationship? Something told Robin that he did._

 _"Batman held you back. If he trained you to help you protect yourself, then you wouldn't be here now. You have the ability and the potential to beat me, but Batman did no teach you correctly. The Titans are also holding you back. If you cannot learn to take a life then you can never hope to defeat me."_

 _"You're psychotic."_

 _"I have much to teach you," Slade replied, his tone dangerous. "You'll thank me for this later."_

 _"Say that again when I see you in court."_

 _That threw Slade over the edge. Slade hit him again._

 _And again._

 _And again._

You know, _Robin thought bitterly,_ if he didn't act upon his sadistic impulses so often I would believe him. _This time, however, the beating didn't last as long as Robin expected. After about a minute Slade glanced at the clock._

" _It's almost time." Slade turned towards Robin. "So, Dick, will you steal the prototype for me from Wayne Enterprises?"_

 _It wasn't a question, really. Robin rubbed his aching jaw and glared at him._

 _"I suppose I have no choice."_

 _Slade shot him a warning glare. What_ else _did Slade want from him? Did the man expect Robin to give him respect? If so, Slade had serious emotional issues himself._

 _"Yes, I will." Dick gulped. "I will…Master."_

 _Oh how he hated that word. If Slade truly wanted Robin to see him as a father then he wouldn't force Robin to use such language._

 _"Good boy."_

 _Dick's upper lip twitched as Slade ruffled his hair. If there was anything he hated more than Slade holding him captive, more than Slade holding the Titans' lives in his hand, then it would have to be that mild streak of fatherly affection Slade had for him. That surprisingly intimate yet patronizing gesture only poured salt in his wounded pride, and Slade knew it._

 _He didn't even let Bruce ruffle his hair._

 _As Slade turned his back to him Dick crouched to the ground and grabbed a fistful of hair in each hand, mentally cursing himself for acquiescing to this unspeakable demand. He shut his eyes tightly. If he never got out of this situation then he would never see Bruce or Alfred again. He could never apologize for the countless and bitter arguments. He could never have the chance to apologize for storming out on him and moving to Jump City, where this…apprenticeship…waited for him._

 _"I'm sorry, Bruce," he mouthed, not daring to say the words out loud, "for everything."_

 _Bats flew overhead._

Robin found himself holding his breath. What could he do to stop the nightmares? He thought briefly of taking a sleeping pill to knock himself out in a dreamless sleep, but he couldn't do that forever. Eventually he would have to face the nightmares again.

Even in death Slade haunted him still.

What was it about his apprenticeship that scared him so much? The Titans didn't understand what he had gone through. Slade forced Robin to steal from his father—or rather, his adopted father.

He rolled to his side and closed his eyes, beginning to feel drowsy.

Maybe he should call Bruce again and apologize. Bruce would want to know that Slade knew his identity. Besides, the man was dead. It wouldn't hurt to tell him. What was so hard about that? Maybe he should visit Gotham and tell him face-to-face. Maybe he should go visit Mr. Haley's circus and see his childhood friends again.

Too much uncertainty.

Robin curled into a ball and buried his face into his bed sheets, comforted by the smell and warmth of his bed. Sometimes it just felt nice to feel safe, curled up in the warmth and safety of his own bed. It was the comfort of old habits. Everyday he would wake up in his own bed in his own home of his own choosing. It was a bitter shock to wake up dazed and confused in that sealed room as the prisoner of a criminal mastermind.

He understood the risks involved with his profession. But as the protégée of Batman he always assumed that such kidnappings happened to other people. _He_ was the one who saved people. _He_ was the one who rescued children from kidnappings and burning homes. Even though he knew he couldn't save everyone he could at least save some.

Robin just couldn't save himself.

 **-C-**

It was getting late.

Cyborg suppressed a yawn as he walked into the main room, intending to get a late-night snack before going to bed. He spent the last few hours upgrading the security to Titans Tower…again.

"Miserable little snot…" he mumbled under his breath.

He was, of course, referencing Red X. At last the invader before had the decency _not_ to shove it in their faces. Cyborg didn't know why Robin trusted Red X so much. True, it seemed as though the information Red X gave Robin was valid. There was just no telling when the guy would turn on them.

 _"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrion Zinthos…"_

He straightened at the sound of Raven's voice. What was she doing still up? Cyborg grabbed a half-eaten ham sandwich from the fridge and stuffed it in his mouth.

The milky-white light of the gibbous moon shone down on the empath, who was hovering before the window. She was meditating. Cyborg chewed the sandwich and swallowed. She normally meditated at specific times of the day. Even though Cyborg didn't know her as well as he would like to he knew that if she was meditating this late at night then something must be wrong.

"Raven…"

He really didn't want to bother her, but something told him that he should. She stopped mid-chant and turned her head slightly to look at him.

"What?"

"Do you know what time it is?"

"I am perfectly aware of the time."

She stood up and drew her hood back over her head. Raven pulled her cloak more tightly around herself.

"Is something wrong?"

Raven stopped near the kitchen counter.

"I feel everyone's emotions. Right now the others are drowning in their emotions. I try to do everything that I can to alleviate the pain, but I can only do so much."

So she was trying to absorb everyone's emotions? That would make anyone grumpy. Cyborg placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You don't have to do that."

"I—"

Her reply was cut-off as the television screen turned on. Someone was calling them.

"This is the Jump City Police Department calling Titans Tower."

Cyborg and Raven turned to look at the caller. The Chief of Police Jeff Johnson stood in front of the webcam, looking just as tired as Cyborg felt.

"Sorry that we called so late, but I felt as though this couldn't wait. Is Robin around?"

"Robin's asleep," Raven said.

"He _is?"_ Cyborg asked, confused. "But it's only eleven."

"If you want, we'll call back in the morning—"

"No, it's fine. Why are you calling?"

"We have a suspect in custody who we believe is connected to the vandalism," the Chief of Police said. "He was just brought in."

Raven and Cyborg exchanged startled glances.

"We'll come," Cyborg said. "We'll be there in ten minutes."

Cyborg turned off the television, hardly daring to believe their luck. Last night the police couldn't find _anything_ to help them. After they were done Cyborg scanned the area himself and found nothing. It was odd to not even have a fingerprint and now…a suspect?

"I'll go wake the others—"

"No." Raven's voice was firm and final. "We should not."

"Why not?"

"What if this is another trap?"

"Rae, it's the police station. What could happen?"

"Anything."

Well, considering the events of the past few days…

"Besides," Raven said, "the others are emotionally compromised."

"Sometimes I feel as though we're the only sane ones on this team," Cyborg said. "Come on, I'll get the T-Car."

 _Ten minutes later…_

"Where's the rest of the team?" The chief of Police asked.

"It's late. We've been working hard all day."

"Of course," Johnson said, nodding. "I'll take you to the suspect."

John led them to the interrogation room, but stopped just outside of the door. Cyborg looked through the two-way mirror and saw the supposed vandal. A man in his mid-twenties gazed back at him. To be perfectly honest, Cyborg was surprised by the man's appearance. He was well-dressed and well-groomed, looking more like an intern for a stockbroker on Wall Street than a vandal.

"Uh…are you sure this is him?" Cyborg asked. "Or are you getting him confused with the guy being held for insider trading?"

No one laughed.

"To be frank, he was left outside the station hogtied and unconscious," Johnson replied. "This was pinned to his shirt."

The Chief of Police handed him a piece of paper. Cyborg looked at the piece of paper. There was nothing on it except for an "X" written in red ink.

"Does that mean anything to you?"

"Yeah," Cyborg said. "How did you know he is connected to Terra?"

"The kid has a criminal record, although we've been having trouble tracking him down. His name is Mark Wolfman, but we have good reason to believe that that name is an alias." Johnson shrugged. "There was a receipt in his wallet for a couple bottles of the same shaving cream used and for a bottle of spray-paint."

"Looks like Red X left us a present," Cyborg said. "But why, though?"

This seemed suspicious. For all the Titans knew, Red X could have been the one who triggered the dust. And if he wasn't the one who triggered the dust, then Cyborg could be sure that Red X expected to benefit from this.

"Let's just see if Wolfman knows anything," Raven said. "That's the most important thing."

They nodded to one of the policemen, who unlocked the door for them. The vandal looked up in interest as the two Titans stepped into the room.

"Mark Wolfman," Cyborg said.

"That's my name."

The vandal leaned back in his chair and smiled. Already Cyborg disliked him.

"Why did Red X bring you in?" he asked.

"That loon? Owed him some money, but the freak couldn't wait. Knocked me out. Next thing I know I'm here and being interrogated by you losers."

"We don't have time for this," Raven said. "Cyborg, I'm going to scare him."

Would Robin approve of this? In this desperate situation, yes he probably would. Cyborg felt himself shiver as Raven released her inner demon. Black tendrils of smoke curled out from underneath her hood and snaked towards Wolfman.

Wolfman's face grew pale as his eyes bulged at whatever horror was underneath Raven's hood. His cuffed hands clutched the edge of the table and his knuckles turned white. Although everyone else—including Raven—disapproved of this technique it sometimes had to be done.

"So," Cyborg said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Are you gonna talk?"

They waited for the vandal to speak. He hunched over in his seat and stared blankly into space, just like Dr. Light's reaction. After a moment he lifted his head.

"What do you want to know?"

"Who are you?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm a graduate of the HIVE Academy."

"You? A graduate of the HIVE Academy?" Cyborg asked. "I'll be sure to look you up in their records."

"Yes, although I graduated under the rule of the previous Head Mistress. I don't work for Brother Blood, which is why I'm broke and accepted the contract to hurt the green kid. I studied to become a criminal mastermind myself and _not_ to become the lackey of others."

"But you still accepted the contract." Cyborg felt little pity for Wolfman. "And as for your plan to become a criminal mastermind…I'm afraid that you'll have to figure that out in jail."

Wolfman pale face flushed with anger. Cyborg's eyes narrowed. How could he be sure that Wolfman wasn't under Brother Blood's control now? From personal experience, Cyborg knew that there was no way he could be sure.

"Hey man," Wolfman said, leaning back and holding up his hands. "I'm just doing my job."

"Who paid you to do this?"

"You think that he would give me his real name?" Wolfman asked. "I know nothing about my employer. All I know about the other agents is that they will act upon the signal. I was told to act when Bird-Boy didn't show up with the Titans."

"What is the next signal?"

"Probably Terra's vandalized tomb," Raven said. "When will the next agent strike?"

"I don't know. But perhaps if you pay my bail—"

Cyborg grasped the vandal by the collar and growled in his face.

"You're lucky Robin isn't here to interrogate," he said. "You know how people roll in Gotham."

"I'm not scared of the Gothamites," Wolfman sneered. "Not even Batman."

"Then you're a fool," Raven said, "for thinking so."

Cyborg nodded. This guy was cocky. Jump City was tame compared to Gotham City. Having been trained at the HIVE Academy himself, Cyborg knew that it would take more than elaborate obstacle courses and robots to take on the Batman.

"Okay, I honestly know nothing about what's going to happen," Wolfman said, "bail or no bail."

"So why did you vandalize Terra's tomb?" Cyborg asked.

"The guy was going to pay me a thousand bucks to do it," he replied, shrugging. "It was an easy job."

"How come the police couldn't find anything?"

"I was taught how to rob a bank properly, not like those recent grads Slade sent after you. That's one of the things the Headmistress taught us," he said, "subtly. Refinement. Those of us who don't have powers learned other things."

"This is getting nowhere," Raven said, pulling down her hood again. "We need information n—"

"Wait—don't!" Wolfman squeaked. "I don't know what's going to happen next or who the other agents are, but you'll know by early tomorrow morning."

"That's not good enough!" Cyborg snapped.

"You can't prepare yourselves," Wolfman said. "Whatever is going to happen will come completely out of the blue."

For the first time in days Cyborg felt truly afraid. What if he was attacked next? What if the attacker bombed Star labs or attacked his grandparents or bombed the school he volunteered at for handicapped kids? Whoever was doing this to them had this all planned out like a grand master.

"Either one of you could be attacked or…" Wolfman allowed himself a smile. "Perhaps the pretty Tamaranean."

End of Part 2

* * *

 **A/N:** Hmm…

Okay, am I the only one who wants to know what Slade's reaction was to the "I already have a father" comment? The episode panned away to bats then to the Titans, so we _never_ know what happens immediately after. My theory is that Slade got pissed and made Robin steal from Wayne Enterprises. That flashback was an idea for an oneshot called "Bats" (that's why it was so friggin' long)…but it fit nicely in here.

I'm glad I took a little longer to write this chapter. I really needed the extra time to write. I found Cyborg's POV to be a little hard to write.

Are the flashbacks getting too annoying? They do have a point, but as I look back I realize that I have a lot. I love writing about the apprentice episodes WAY too much. I had way too much fun writing that flashback.

I'm also trying something new with BB's POV: not a flashback, but him imagining Terra's encounter with Slade. How is that working out?

Hope you don't mind the OC character Wolfman. It sort of had to be done.

REVIEW!

P.S If you lovely people open your inbox on Sunday morning, expecting your weekly chapter update, and do not see a chapter update, feel totally free to PM me and be like, "WTF aessedai343? YOU MISSED YOUR DEADLINE!" But yeah, I turned this in a day early because I have to work tomorrow.


	14. Dust Ch 13: Invasion, Pt 3 Princess Koriand'r

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I really wish that I worked for DC Comics. Then everything I write would be canon!

**Disclaimer:** I really wish that I worked for DC Comics. Then everything I write would be canon!

 **A/N:** Okay, yes in the previous chapter Mark Wolfman is indeed an allusion to Marv Wolfman, who is the creator of the New Teen Titans comics and other fun DC characters. When I was thinking of a name for him the first thing that popped into my head was "Wolfman." Then I picked "Mark," realized that it was close to "Marv," but then thought "why not?"

Also: Batman: Under the Red Hood: OMFG THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES ARE SO INTENSE! Great movie. I really wanted to see it 'cause it's the first time the DC Animated Universe adapted the Jason Todd storyline. Sorry. Had to rant about the awesomeness.

I have also hit over 50,000 words. What does that mean? Why, it means that this story is *officially* a novel.

Thanks again for the reviews, people! I love you all.

* * *

Part 3: Princess Koriand'r, The Tamaranean's Tale 

Chapter 13: Invasion

 **-S-**

Robin wasn't the only one plagued with nightmares.

The Tamaranean princess tossed and turned all night in a fitful sleep. She lay curled in a ball, her red hair spread out over the pillows and her hands clutching the blankets. Oh, she had the usual nightmares about the Gordanians and the Citadel, but tonight the nightmare was different.

She dreamed of Robin.

 _Tamaran's rocky mountains loomed above her, filling her heart with joy as she flew through the air of her homeworld. True, Earth was full of amazing and beautiful places, but Tamaran would always be the most beautiful world eyes would behold._

 _She flew towards the base of the mountains and away from the buildings built into the rocky towers. Tamaranean culture left no room for weak people. Even as a princess Starfire learned how to fight like a true warrior and learned how to face the rough wilderness of the planet. She landed in front of a cliff littered with caves. As a child she used to explore these caverns with Galfore._

 _Starfire entered one of the larger caves. To her surprise she found a brightly-clad figure lying curled on the floor, his black-and-gold cape lying in tatters about him. He lifted his head as she approached. Shock filled her as she saw blood running down his face._

 _"Starfire!" Robin cried, reaching out a hand for her. "Help me!"_

 _Despite what Robin said about doing everything alone, Starfire wanted to help him. When the Titans figured out the secret of the nanoscopic probes and had raced down to Slade's lair, it had been Starfire who acted first._

 _Robin screamed as he was dragged backwards into the darkness. No matter how fast Starfire ran so always seemed so slow. She ran into the darkness where he disappeared, but found no one there._

 _A deep male voice chuckled. "Why am I not surprised to see you here, princess?"_

Feel the righteous fury, _Starfire thought, her hands curling into fists,_ you must save him! _Yet as Slade walked into the light she could not help but fear him as well. Where was Robin? What had Slade done with him?_

 _"Leave. Him. Alone."_

 _Her starbolts cast Slade in a greenish glow, the contours of his metal mask illuminated in the dim light. Even in her rage she noticed that Slade held something white in his hand. Noticing her glance, Slade held up the object to the light._

 _It was Robin's mask._

 _"You think you know him," Slade sneered, "but you don't know the first thing about him."_

 _"That is not true!"_

 _"Oh, really? Then why do I know all of his secrets? Why is it that I know what he looks like under the mask?"_

 _Was that what was truly bothering her? That Slade knew everything about Robin? His true name, his true face, his true history? The fact that Robin had been an inch away from revealing his identity to her?_

 _"You made him do it!"_

 _"Why, my dear, he took it off for me."_

 _Although she wanted to say that he was lying, Robin had admitted so himself. This only increased her fury._

 _They began to fight. Her eyes glowed dangerously as she summoned up all of her alien strength to defeat Slade. She certainly had an advantage over him with her powers, but Slade remained elusive. He played the defensive, dodging her fists and starbolts with the upmost ease._

 _She yelped as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her backwards._

 _"I have no doubt that you have the power to kill me," Slade said, "isn't that what the Warlords of Okaara taught you to do?"_

 _One of her starbolts connected with his face. She leapt forward and ripped off Slade's mask. To her horror a Gordanian head stared back at her, scaly and hideously reptilian. Starfire froze, utterly paralyzed with fear. She didn't know why—since she had successfully fought Gordanians before—but this renewed her childhood fear of Tamaran's worst enemies._

 _She screamed._

Starfire awoke.

The light from the rising sun shone on her face. She got out of bed and walked to the wide windows to pull the curtains open. This morning the marine layer dissipated in the rays of the Terran sun, forecasting a lovely day in Jump City. A few stars still shone above in the deep blue sky.

At least one thing was certain: no matter how bad the situation got the sun would always rise. Another day would begin. A fresh start. Starfire tried to smile to herself.

Everything that had happened to them in the past few days depressed her, especially regarding Robin. Aside from Galfore, he was the strongest person she knew. He was her best friend on this planet and did not wish to see him like this.

Perhaps they should "take a break" from investigating the mystery and go watch a movie or play the game with the ball and feet. But she knew that they couldn't afford to do that now. If anything, that nightmare only spurred her onward to solving this mystery.

Galfore…

That was it!

She turned on her alien computer and waited for it to warm up. As a princess of Tamaran she really should upgrade. Maybe Cyborg could help with that.

Even though she won the crown Starfire felt as though she wasn't right for Tamaran. She handed the throne to her _knorfka_ Galfore, who was much wiser and more experienced than she was. Nevertheless, she spoke to Galfore often about Tamaranean politics. Even though she considered Earth her home now, she wasn't ignorant of her homeworld politics.

Sometimes Galfore felt that as an outsider of the royal family, he could not possibly be right for Tamaran. About four days ago he sent her a draft of a treaty and asked her opinion. Star really should get back to him on that.

Her heart warmed at the thought of speaking to Galfore. Now that she thought about it, Galfore was the person she needed to talk to. Yes, she loved her friends here, but he knew her the best. Starfire could talk to him about anything.

"Galfore!" she exclaimed, now switching to her native Tamaranean tongue. "Oh Galfore, there is much I need to speak about!"

The transmission did nothing. It wasn't connecting as quickly as it usually did. Garbled noise that didn't sound like Tamaranean issued from the speakers. She tapped the screen in puzzlement.

Something was wrong.

 **-R-**

 _"SLADE!"_

Robin woke up with a start and a yell. He found himself on the floor in a tangle of blankets. Sweat drenched his back and plastered his hair to his forehead. He struggled to disentangle himself from the sheets, feeling suddenly constricted and claustrophobic.

He drew his knees to his chest and took several deep breaths to calm himself down. Even with the air conditioning running it felt much too hot in his room.

"I'm not weak," he said to no one in particular. "I'm not…"

Weak. Vulnerable. Frightened.

 _Robin lay on the cot with his arms underneath his head. An ice pack was taped to his side, cooling down the throbbing purple bruise there. Of course, there were bruises elsewhere, but Wintergreen was afraid that Slade might have cracked a rib. Poking the bruised area, Robin didn't think that he broke a rib. Bruised it, probably, but not broken._

 _Tonight Slade wasn't making him do anything. No stealing. No training. Nothing except recuperating from their latest training session. There wasn't much he could do aside from rest. It infuriated him that he couldn't move much without pain. He hated being useless and hated lying around without anything to do._

 _He tensed as the invisible door slid open and Slade stepped in. He sat up and turned his head to the wall, not wanting to talk to him. The last thing he wanted to do was strike up a conversation with Slade. Sometimes, though, he felt lonely enough to_ want _to talk to him. Now, however, was not the time._

 _He really hated these pep talks._

 _"I see that Wintergreen gave you an ice pack," Slade said, talking more to himself than to Robin, "good."_

 _Was that concern that Robin heard? No, it wasn't concern for his well-being. At least, not for his emotional well-being. He touched the ice pack and felt more water than ice. Wintergreen taped him about ten minutes ago—he should take it off before he got frostbite. Still not looking at Slade, Robin began to rip off the tape. The skin around the bruise was bright red from the prolonged exposure to the ice. When he touched it he could still feel the pain, but his stomach was now ice-cold and numb._

 _Slade pulled up a chair sat down next to him. They sat in silence for a long time. Robin was surprised that Slade didn't speak first. Wasn't this Slade's daily session of talking down to him? What was he waiting for? Robin didn't move as he stared resolutely at the wall._

 _This was so awkward._

 _"If you were really sorry you would let me and my friends go."_

 _As always, Slade's face was expressionless. Robin hated looking at that metal mask. It annoyed the hell out of him that he couldn't figure out who the man was behind the mask. What did Slade really look like? Old? Young? Robin guessed that Slade was middle-aged, judging from the voice and physique. That narrowed down the suspects to…oh…one of the_ billions _of middle-aged men in the world._

 _"I have no concern for your…former friends," Slade said. "And no, I do not regret entrapping you."_

 _Slade took the melted ice pack away and placed it on top of the dresser._ Go away, _Robin thought, biting his lip,_ please go away. _But he knew that Slade wouldn't. Robin did this for his friends. He didn't agree to talk to Slade like an old friend or…as father and son…_

 _"It doesn't have to be this way," Slade said, "if you went about this with a better attitude—"_

 _"I feel like I'm taking this rather well," Robin snarled, "considering the fact that I'm being held against my will."_

 _"Held against your will? Dick, you agreed to work fo—"_

"Stop calling me that!"

 _Robin couldn't take it anymore. He tried to sit up straighter, but he found that he couldn't stand because of the pain in his side. He shut his eyes tightly as the pain flared up again. Maybe this way why Slade came in to talk to him now. Robin was hurt and couldn't talk with his fists. He glared at Slade. Robin could stand a number of insults—Bird-boy, bird brain, little bastard, brat—but somehow the way Slade addressed him by this affectionate nickname infuriated him more than all of those combined._

 _"Why?"_

 _"My name is Robin."_

 _"No, your name is Richard John Grayson. Robin is your alter ego."_

 _"Well, maybe I don't want you to call me that."_

 _"It doesn't matter what I call you. I still know your identity." Slade cocked his head to the side. "And I know that it won't make you feel better. Just accept your new life, Dick."_

 _Slade had a point. Even though he technically agreed to work for Slade both of them knew that it was nothing short of blackmail. But Robin couldn't accept this. He_ wouldn't _accept this._

 _"How can I?"_

 _The villain was so narrow-minded that he couldn't see the frightened, angry child sitting before him. Robin felt angry, but he didn't want to pick a fight. He just wanted answers. Such as why Slade chose him over budding villains or why…why Slade wanted an apprentice at all._

 _"You'll learn."_

Dick sat there until his heart rate returned to its normal pace. No one was here except him. Slade wasn't here to drag him out of bed, or to manipulate him, or to verbally abuse him. His throat felt parched from yelling.

As he calmed down he began to shiver, goosebumps rising on his exposed flesh. Whether they were from the sudden cold or fear he didn't know.

Dick held the eye mask in his hands.

Funny, how such a thin strip of cloth could obscure his identity from his closest friends. Even funnier how Clark's identity was never compromised, since all he used were glasses and a spit curl. Maybe he should walk out right now without his mask on. He didn't know whether it would help him cope or not. He would be compromising the identity of Bruce, half the Justice League… Dick leaned against the side of his bed.

How would the others react if he did reveal his secret identity? Some of them wouldn't know who Richard Grayson was. It would also be obvious that Bruce—his legal guardian—was Batman, since no parent would ever allow their child to fight crime as a masked crusader.

Why didn't Slade immediately go after him again after he escaped? Slade knew his identity. He knew Bruce's identity. Now that Dick thought about it, why did Slade go after Terra instead? If anything, Dick left a variety of options wide open for Slade after escaping. There were too many unanswered questions.

Having Slade on the brain didn't help him relax.

Gathering the bed sheets and pulling them back on his bed, Robin decided that he would go back to sleep. He naturally got up this early, even on days when they didn't have combat practice. He crawled underneath the sheets and tried to go back to sleep.

Someone screamed.

 **-Rae-**

Raven awoke.

She glanced at her clock. It was almost six in the morning. Like everyone else in the Tower, she had been awakened by a high-pitched scream of terror. Raven swept out of bed and put on her cloak, her fingers slipping as she fastened it under her chin. She had to admit that she was afraid of what they would find.

As she stepped out into the hallway she found Cyborg and Robin already running towards the noise.

"Who screamed?" Raven demanded.

"It sounded like Starfire," Robin said.

Together they raced towards Starfire's bedroom. Everything looked normal, except for the fact that Starfire wasn't there.

"Wake Beast Boy," Robin said. "Now."

His voice went to a low growl, although Raven felt cold fear emanating from him. He hadn't been crying again, but…

She nodded and raced towards Beast Boy's messy room. The scent of unwashed laundry and rotting food filled her nostrils. She really hated coming in here. Beast Boy was such a slob. She approached the bunk bed where Beast Boy slept.

"Wake up!" Raven snapped.

She used her powers to rip the bed sheets off of his bed. Beast Boy scrunched into a tighter ball as he snuggled into his pillow.

"Mmm…" Beast Boy mumbled, one hand snaking out to search for the missing blanket, "five more minutes."

Raven's eyes glowed white as she jerked him out of bed with her powers. He yelled as he was flung head-over-heels into a pile of dirty cloths. He popped up and shook a lone sock off of his head.

"What was that for?"

"Why? What's happening?"

"Starfire is the next target."

At once he leapt to his feet and followed her down the hallway.

As Raven ran to the common room she caught sight of a couple of newspapers on the countertop. To keep up with the news, Robin subscribed to several newspapers, including The Daily Planet and the Gotham Globe. Her violet eyes widened as she read the headline on The Daily Planet. What could this mean? Had Robin read this already?

The others raced up to the roof. Raven enveloped herself in darkness and teleported to the rooftop before the others. She looked around the rooftop but didn't see Starfire there. Looking up, she saw the Tamaranean flying away into the pink sky, a purple splotch fading into the distance. A moment later Robin burst from the door leading to the rooftop, with Beast Boy and Cyborg bringing up the rear.

"STARFIRE!"

Robin slid to a halt on the rooftop, his mouth ajar in stunned surprise. Starfire turned at the sound of her name. Tears ran down her face as she hovered above them, her eyes glowing bright green.

"Please!" Starfire exclaimed. "Do not try to stop me!"

"What happened?" Robin demanded, stepping forward. "Talk to us!"

Instead of answering Starfire turned to continue her journey through the stratosphere. This wasn't like Beast Boy's rage, though. Robin stood silent for a moment before making a decision.

" _Titans, go!"_

Raven flew into the air after the Tamaranean, casting a black disc for Robin to jump on. Beast Boy transformed into a pterodactyl and lifted Cyborg into the air. It was imperative that they bring her back before she left Earth's atmosphere. This reminded Raven too much of the time when Starfire left Earth because of her alien puberty transformation…thing. They didn't have time to power up the T-ship and chase her halfway across the galaxy.

"I must go! I must save my people!"

Raven felt fear emanating from the other Titans, and especially from Starfire. Raven felt Starfire fear and concern for the people of Tamaran, whom she had sworn to protect since she was small. She also sensed guilt within the Tamaranean, as though Starfire blamed herself for not accepting the crown before this crisis occurred.

"It's a trick!" Raven shouted. "Starfire, you're not thinking straight!"

"Raven, stop her!" Robin said.

 _"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"_

A dome of black energy surrounded the alien, preventing her from leaving the atmosphere and into the vacuum of space. Robin launched himself into the air from the black disc and, somehow managing to do this gracefully, shot his grapple hook at Starfire. It caught her foot.

 _You know,_ Raven thought, _for someone who trained under Batman he can be stupid sometimes._

Yet she couldn't help but notice sometimes how he seemed to be born for flying despite the fact that he didn't have powers. The wind whipped his gelled hair back from his forehead and made his cape flap noisily. The sudden extra weight stopped Starfire mid-flight. She dropped like a stone and brought Robin down with her. Disregarding the fact that he could be plummeting to his death, Robin moved his body towards Starfire like an expert acrobat flying on the trapezes, his arms outstretched and reaching for her.

Together they fell through the air.

"STARFIRE!" Robin shouted. "FLY!"

This seemed to bring Starfire back to the present. She closed her eyes tightly as she grabbed Robin's wrist. Raven and the others hovered and watched in anticipation. Back when she and Starfire switched bodies Raven had found it extremely difficult to control the Tamaranean's powers. To fly she had to think a happy thought. Raven flung out a hand and began to utter the magic words to stop them from falling, but Starfire closed her eyes.

Their descent slowed as Starfire regained control of her powers. They landed gently on the rooftop.

"Starfire!" Robin exclaimed grabbing her wrists. "What happened?"

The Tamaranean explained nothing as she collapsed into Robin's eyes. The Boy Wonder wrapped his arms around her and pressed her close.

"It's all right," he said, cradling her in his arms. "Everything will be all right."

Raven could tell that Robin didn't believe his own words.

 **-BB-**

It took a good ten minutes to calm Starfire down.

Everyone watched the sun rise as they stood around the common room. Robin sat on the couch beside Starfire and held her shaking hands, speaking to her in a low, reassuring voice. It was still unclear to him as to what made Star so upset. That is, until Raven came up to them with a newspaper.

"I'm not sure if this is a trick or not." Raven threw down a copy of The Daily Planet in front of them. "The Gordanians have invaded Tamaran."

" _What?"_ Robin looked up, the eyeholes of his mask wide. "It's in the Daily Planet?"

All four of them leaned in close to read the front page article. A large picture of the planet Tamaran dominated the front page. Beast Boy remembered the first time all five of them fought together as a team against Starfire's Gordanian kidnappers. To think that they, Tamaran's traditional enemy, had invaded her home world…

"Who wrote the article?" Robin demanded. "Did Clark Kent?"

"The journalist?" Beast Boy asked. "No, it doesn't look like it. Why?"

Robin didn't answer right away.

"This is fake," he said finally. "Whoever wrote the article used a dead source or did it to hurt us."

 _"Hello!"_ Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing out his arms for emphasis. "This is The Daily Planet, not the National Enquirer!"

"BB's got a point," Cyborg said. "It's a respectable newspaper. Why would the journalists write about something that hasn't happened?"

"For a high-enough bribe someone might just push this forward to the front page," Robin said. "But Tamaran's not like Krypton…why would…" He trailed off as he read the article. "It says here that an astronomer named Dr. Glen Cipes, who works at the Northwestern California Observatory, noticed irregularities within the Vega System."

"That observatory is about an hour away from here," Cyborg said. "It has a very powerful radio telescope. It's one of the most powerful on the Western Coast."

"Dr. Cipes noticed the Gordanian fleet approaching the planet Tamaran," Robin continued, reading from the article, "when he noted an irregular mass slowly approaching the Vega System, which slowly grew over a course of a week. Gordanian communications began to jam the radio telescope, utterly destroying all forms of Tamaranean communication and prevented Dr. Cipes from studying the Vega System."

As usual, all of this techno-babble went completely over Beast Boy's head. Why did the writer have to use so many scientific words? Wouldn't it be simpler just to say: Tamaran invaded?

"I attempted to contact Galfore," Starfire said, "but the transmission was blocked. A Gordanian captain intercepted the message. I then knew that Tamaran had been invaded."

Robin gritted his teeth.

"We should have done something," Cyborg said. "We knew that something was going to happen."

"What?" Robin said, his eyes narrowing. "Why didn't you wake me?"

"Hey man," Cyborg said, lifting up his hands. "You needed serious chill time."

That was the wrong thing to say.

" _You withheld information from me!"_ Robin snarled. "Information that could have stopped this from happening!"

An expression of shock crossed Beast Boy's face. Sure, he had information, but it wasn't as pertinent to the case. If Cyborg knew that someone else was going to be attacked, then why didn't he tell anyone the moment he came back to the Tower? If Beast Boy got that kind of information he would have told Robin.

"That's not the point!" Robin prodded a finger into Cyborg's metal chest. "Someone's messing with us."

Cyborg pushed Robin's finger to the side.

"Dude, we've got a suspect now in police custody. If you want you can go interrogate him yourself. I'm not stopping you."

"Oh, now there's a suspect that I wasn't aware of?" Robin asked, fuming. "What else haven't you told me?"

Cyborg's words were lost in the shouting match that ensued. The boy wonder's cheeks colored as his voice rose to a shout. Both boys tensed as though getting ready for a fight.

"Hey! Just because you worked with Batman doesn't give you any right to lead, you spiky-haired little—"

"This is not about Batman!"

"You're paranoid! Why can't you just trust us?"

"I'm paranoid? How come _you're_ not? For all we know you could have been attacked next!"

As Robin said this he moved close to Cyborg's face, spit flying from his mouth. Cyborg's eyes narrowed as he pushed Robin away.

"Don't push me!" Robin snarled, shoving Cyborg away. "I'm just trying to keep everyone alive!"

 _"I'm not the one who went crazy!"_

The entire room went dead silent.

 _"That wasn't my fault!_ Anyone could have inhaled that dust." Robin huffed and thinned his lips. "I don't have time for this."

"This is getting too personal, Robin." Cyborg grimaced."Do you still think Slade is behind this?"

That was it. Cyborg finally pushed Robin's berserk button. Robin froze at the mention of Slade, the eyeholes of his mask widening in shock and anger. Suddenly, the boy wonder took out his bo-staff and slammed it against Cyborg's face.

"Hey! _Dudes!"_ Beast Boy exclaimed, watching on helplessly. "What are you doing?"

This was just like the time they had a fight over the failed sonic boom attack when Cinderblock broke into prison, only this was much more intense. A brief scuffle broke out between them as Cyborg counter-attacked in defense.

"Oh, you're acting like Slade now, huh?" Cyborg said, his voice taunting. "Did he teach you a few tricks?"

"Don't. Compare. Me. To. Him," Robin growled. "Ever."

 _"ENOUGH!"_ Raven shouted, her hair flying as her powers broke them apart. "Pointless arguing will not make anything better."

Beast Boy's skin crawled as the two Titans were slammed hard against the walls of the common room. _She could really let her powers loose,_ he thought, _but she always holds back. And for good reason._ But Raven had a point. They couldn't afford infighting. Robin snorted derisively, but said nothing in reply. Raven broke the silence.

"I told him not to bring you or the others."

"What?" Beast Boy blurted.

Out of all people, _Raven_ disobeyed the team's protocol? Surely she meant it in a good way, but now…now it just seemed to split them apart. Sometimes it seemed as though she knew things everyone else didn't know because of her telepathic powers. Well, if she did know something important then she better say it now.

Robin turned towards her, his expression irate. "I thought you knew better."

His tone was low and dangerous, sounding very much like Gotham's Dark Knight. Everyone tensed as Robin ground his teeth.

"We may not have prevented this from happening," Raven said, "but we've got a lead. We should use it. Whatever happens we have to stick together." Raven glared at both of them. "Now apologize."

Both crossed their arms over their chest and huffed in irritation.

"I'm sorry man, it was a little out of line," Cyborg said.

Robin nodded, but didn't verbally acknowledge the apology. The Boy Wonder wasn't one much for words these days. Beast Boy had hoped since the day they first met—when the Gordanians came to Jump City—that Robin would continue his smart-aleck attitude that personified the Batman's sidekick. Beast Boy could tell that he still had that attitude somewhere inside him, but perhaps with the Bat temporarily out of his life he felt the need to be serious.

"We should figure out who is behind this," Robin said.

"What about Blackfire?" Beast Boy asked. "She faked an invasion before and she could totally do it again."

"On this large a scale?" Cyborg asked. "I don't think so."

"Blackfire doesn't benefit," Robin said. "Why would she want her planet invaded? She's also in prison and probably incapable of planning something this huge."

"What if it is real?" Raven asked. "What if we're just being paranoid? What if Starfire needs to fight alongside her people?"

There was always that distinct possibility, but no one wanted to believe that this wasn't a coincidence. The fact of the matter was that this was _too_ much of a coincidence. With the Titans being attacked left and right someone obviously wanted Starfire out of the way. What better way to make her leave than to fake an invasion on Tamaran?

"Star," Robin said gently, "are you willing to stay here until we figure this out?"

Her tears had dried, but she still shook with suppressed rage. Beast Boy could tell that she longed to fly straight back to Tamaran. She nodded slowly. Robin straightened.

"If Tamaran has been invaded," Raven said, "you don't have to go alone, Starfire."

"It is…good to know that my friends will help," Starfire said, sniffling. "And that you understand why I must leave if Tamran has truly been…"

She trailed off, giving Robin the opportunity to take charge.

"Raven and Beast Boy, I want you to give Dr. Cipes a call and verify that he actually exists and works for the observatory. Cyborg, you still have to check up on the Jump City Maximum Prison to find out how Cinderblock escaped."

"And you?" Cyborg asked.

Robin glanced down at the newspaper article. Something seemed strange about all this…did Robin know people in Metropolis? He did ask about Clark Kent, that journalist from the Daily Planet. As always, there was a whole side to Robin that Beast Boy knew nothing about.

But who cared about Clark Kent? Now that Lois Lane, _she_ was quite a looker. Too bad she was Superman's girl though. Robin looked back up at his friends. The expression on his face was despondent-almost fearful.

"I need to make another phone call."

* * *

 **A/N:** Well….at least they had a little warning. Not much in terms of action, I know, but you gotta trust me on the character buildup here. I wasn't sure if Cyborg and Robin's fight was a little OOC…tell me what you think. This is one chapter I want to go back and edit a little. I am displeased with Part 3's title. Anyway, I've wanted to write that idea of Slade's pep talk for a while.

And yes, Starfire and Robin falling through the air is an allusion to "Stranded." Such a cute episode. :)

All I'll say about the next chapter is: MAJOR CAMEOS. Be excited, people.

I will hunt you down if you don't review. :D


	15. Investigations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans? Don't panic! JUST KEEP CALM AND BAZINGA.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Teen Titans? Don't panic! JUST KEEP CALM AND BAZINGA.

 **A/N:** YAY! CAMEOS!

This chapter got pretty dang long, so I actually cut part of it out and put it into the next chapter. So I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Chapter 14: Investigations

 **-CK-**

9:14am.

Metropolis.

The Daily Planet.

Clark Kent typed furiously as people around him worked just as hard to get the next batch of articles out. The big news had already been told about the Gordanian invasion on Tamaran. Just as the Chief expected phone calls were rushing in about the alien invasion.

Clark didn't understand why it was such a big deal, especially why it made the front page this morning. Of course, the Justice League's exploits always made the front page, but an alien invasion happening light years away? Didn't even concern them.

After asking John Wyatt, that new hotshot journalist who wrote that article in the first place, Clark learned that one of Robin's teammates was from Tamaran. Two years back a fleet of Gordanians attacked Jump City, but Robin and his team successfully drove them out.

"Kent!" The Chief yelled. "That article better be done soon!"

"Of course, Chief!" Clark shouted back, his fingers typing faster. "Jimmy, you got some photos for me!"

The redheaded youth looked up at the sound of his name and grinned.

"Yeah! Right away, sir!"

How could the kid be so chipper this early in the morning? Clark paused to sip a cup of coffee to wake himself up a little. The past few missions with the Justice League over the past week had really worn them all thin.

His phone rang.

"The Daily Planet, this is Clark Kent speaking," Clark said, propping the phone on his shoulder as he continued typing. "How may I help you?"

"Clark," a young male voice said, sounding afraid, "I need to talk to you."

Clark's blood ran cold as he recognized the voice. His fingers slowed to a stop as he looked around the room. Lois smiled as he gazed in her direction. He forced himself to smile back.

"Hold on a sec, Dick."

He put a hand over the mouthpiece and let out a breath. He may be the Man of Steel, but that didn't mean he couldn't experience fear. It was just that Dick sounded so frightened. More frightened than Clark had ever heard him speak.

"Excuse me, Chief, I have to take this call," Clark said. "Family business."

Perry must have sensed Clark's urgent undertone, for his face softened a bit.

"Of course, Kent."

His heart pounded as he went into a back room for some privacy. He thought of a thousand things that could be wrong. Like everyone else in the Justice League he had heard about the incident with the dust in Deathstroke's mask. Clark shook his head. Deathstroke the Terminator was a challenge for the Justice League. He wondered vaguely how the Teen Titans managed to handle him when he was alive.

"What's wrong, Dick?"

"Clark, someone's attacking the Titans. I mean someone's attacking us…personally."

Clark looked out of the small window in the door and saw Lois. She was talking on the phone with someone. If anyone wanted to attack him personally all they had to do was…Clark forced those thoughts away as he focused his attention back to Dick.

"Do you know who?"

"That's what I've been trying to figure out. Who wrote that front page article in the Planet?"

"John Wyatt—but why do you want to know?"

"Starfire, one of my teammates, is second-in-line for the Tamaranean throne. When she heard the news she flipped out and tried to leave Earth. I think that article's fake."

"That's a big accusation to make."

Considering the reputation of the Daily Planet, it really was. Then again, Clark knew that Dick wouldn't make such a huge assumption without a good reason to. Clark used his x-ray vision to make sure that no one outside of the room was listening in on this conversation. Everyone else was doing exactly what they were supposed to be doing.

"I know, Clark, but there's a conspiracy. This is too much of a coincidence."

"Why did you call me?"

"There's a pattern in these attacks: they're personal. We're not sure if Tamaran has been invaded, but you could please confirm the validity of the article?"

He pressed the phone closer to his ear, his lips thinning as his baby-blue eyes looked anywhere but the floor. This was the one thing he himself had always been afraid of. Even the Justice League—professionals by nature—slipped up sometimes. People died. Friends were hurt. Clark wouldn't berate the kid for failing to prevent this from happening. Instead, he would do everything he could to help him.

After all, Dick would do the same for him.

"I'll help you," Clark said. "I'll do everything I can to help."

"Thanks, Clark."

"Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Clark said this carefully. Like Bruce and the rest of the Justice League he was worried about the kid. Deathstroke might not have been as psychotic as the other Bat-villains, but that didn't mean he wasn't any less dangerous. Sometimes Clark felt as though he should have gone to Jump City himself and stopped it from happening. He was sure Bruce felt the same way.

"I…." He heard Dick breathe into the phone, as though considering whether or not to talk. "No."

Perhaps, then, another time.

"Stay safe, okay kiddo?"

"I'll try."

Before Clark could respond Dick hung up. Clark didn't like this at all. He heard John Wyatt's loud voice shout to Jimmy for photos. He took off his glasses and wiped them clean on his shirt.

He needed to call Bruce.

 **-BW-**

9:49am.

Gotham City.

Wayne Manor.

"Master Bruce…"

Bruce rolled over and placed a pillow over his head. It was still too early for him to get up. After last night's particularly brutal fight with Clayface he was more than exhausted. Sighing, Alfred opened the curtains to fill the room with light.

"The press conference isn't until noon, Alfred," he mumbled. "Just a couple more hours…"

"Normally I would, sir, but Mr. Kent is on the line. He wishes to speak with you." Alfred paused. "He says it's about Dick."

His eyes shot open at these words. Bruce sat up straight and stretched out his hand for the phone.

"What is it, Clark?" he asked.

"Have you seen the Planet's front page article?"

"No. I just woke up."

Wordlessly, Alfred handed Bruce a copy of the Daily Planet and the Gotham Globe. Both newspapers had front page articles about an intergalactic war in the Vega system.

"I have a copy of the Planet in front of me. What about it?"

"Dick called to ask who wrote the article."

"Why?"

"Did you know that one of his teammates is second-in-line to the Tamaranean throne?"

"I think he mentioned it once…"

Bruce really should pay more attention to these things. He had gone over Robin's teammates once or twice just to do a quick background check, but he didn't know who they were by heart.

"He says that each member of his team is being attacked. Now three of them have been personally attacked. He claims that it began with the dust."

 _"What?"_ Bruce snapped. "When did this start happening?"

"Thursday night, when Robin was infected with the dust. A day later Tara Markov's tomb is vandalized. He's scared, Bruce. I can tell."

Was that why Dick didn't call him? Surely he knew that if he called Clark then Clark would call Bruce. The boy's logic, sometimes…

"Why did he call you?"

"He wanted to know who wrote the article—"

"Yes, but why _you?"_

Bruce did feel a little put-out that Dick didn't tell him these things. True, he didn't even fully trust Clark. He always carried a bit of Kryptonite with him, just in case the Kryptonian turned on him. Clark's tone became somewhat annoyed.

"Look, Bruce, something happened during his time with Deathstroke. Maybe something happened between them. Maybe…I don't know…Deathstroke threatened to kill you?"

"What?"

Bruce never even considered that possibility. Clark continued to speak.

"Deathstroke blackmailed him by threatening to kill the Titans, right? Well, what if he threatened to kill you too? Or what if Deathstroke had another motive for taking him on as an apprentice?"

"Are you saying that he wanted to get my attention?"

"It did, didn't it?"

Supes had a point. Back in those good old days when he worked with Robin, the poor kid always got kidnapped or held at gun point by the bad guys to get Batman's attention. Now as a teenager Dick could obviously take care of himself, but that still didn't mean that villains wouldn't target him because of his affiliation with Batman.

"It's just a theory, Bruce. You told me that he broke into Wayne Enterprises. Maybe Dick doesn't want to talk to you because of that. Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you because he's ashamed of the things he had to do to so that Deathstroke wouldn't kill his friends…or you."

He hadn't even considered that possibility. It didn't make sense to target Batman, who lived across the continent. Bruce shook his head, as though shaking those thoughts away, and began a different topic.

"So what did he want you to do?"

"I'm going to talk to John Wyatt about the article," Clark said, "he was the one who pushed it to the front page. The Titans are working on leads in California. They're still not sure if Tamaran has been invaded."

"I'm going to help."

"Try to be subtle about it, Bruce."

Bruce set the phone back in the receiver and sat in silence. _Why didn't Dick call me first?_ He thought.

He tried to get Barry to ask him about his time as Deathstroke's apprentice. Truthfully, Bruce only half-expected that to work. Barry was a great guy, sure, but Alfred could pry more out of the boy than Flash could.

Why wouldn't Dick open up about that incident? What was he so afraid of? Was he afraid that Bruce would be angry that he worked for someone else? Bruce rubbed his unshaven chin. He was far from angry. Why should he be angry? If anything, Bruce felt more anger towards Deathstroke for coercing Robin into that situation in the first place.

Bruce pulled on a bathrobe and left his bedroom. He ran a hair through his messy hair and rubbed the last bit of sleep from his eyes. Alfred was already back downstairs in the kitchen.

He went into Dick's room.

Thanks to Alfred, the furniture here wasn't covered in dust. If Dick happened to hop on a plane for Gotham this morning then Alfred would be sure to keep this room ready. Dick had left the majority of his stuff here, including a large poster of the Flying Graysons hanging on the wall.

The little bird hadn't really left the nest.

Legally, Dick was still a minor and still financially dependant upon Bruce. By all means Dick should still be in Gotham under his care, but Bruce let him go to California. After their infighting they needed a little time away from each other.

Both Bruce and Gotham missed Robin the Boy Wonder. He missed the light-hearted ten-year-old and his witty—if somewhat cringing—puns and catchphrases. Now at sixteen Dick felt that he had to drop the catchphrases and act just as seriously as Bruce. After the brief apprenticeship with Deathstroke he seemed to have withdrawn within himself even more.

Yes, Bruce was worried. He felt as though there was something Dick didn't tell him. The detective in him was itching to find out what. More than once he considered flying out to Jump City, especially during that harrowing time Dick had disappeared, but the Joker pulled his attention away from Dick. He remembered coming home late one night to disturbing news.

 _Batman slowed to a stop in the batcave. It was nearly four in the morning. He had a conference meeting in five hours. Why did the Joker pick this night to terrorize Gotham?_

 _He pulled off the cowl and stepped out of the Batmobile. As always, Alfred was there waiting for him with a first-aid kit. Bruce moved a little more slowly than usual, his side aching from his fight with one of the Joker's goons._

" _What a night, Alfred," Bruce muttered as he peeled off his uniform. "I'll have to talk to Dr. Arkham about how the Joker escap—"_

" _Sir," Alfred said, "there's something you have to see—"_

 _For the first time Bruce noticed that Alfred's face was dead white. His heart sank as he thought of a thousand things that could have gone wrong. Alfred gestured towards the computer screen._

" _Your Head of Security called about twenty minutes ago," Alfred said, "to report a break-in at your branch in Jump City."_

 _A break-in? In Jump City? He turned towards the computer screen, where live security footage from his branch in Jump City played. Bruce watched the footage carefully._

 _A young man dressed in a black-and-tan uniform entered the room, his back to the security camera. His hand reached for the prototype, but he paused as the Titans burst into the room. Bruce's eyes narrowed as he counted four Titans. Where was…_

" _Robin…" He breathed, his eyes widening as the young man turned around._

 _Bruce was stunned._

 _Despite the change in uniform it was obvious who it was. What the_ hell _was Dick doing dressed like that? What the hell was he doing stealing from Wayne Enterprises? He watched Robin turn away from the prototype, face the Titans, and then escape from the room through the air vents in the ceiling._

 _Bruce slumped into his chair and watched in stunned silence. A silver metal "S" glinted in the place where his "R" usually was. A modified version of a thermal blaster was strapped to his wrist, which mystified him. He had taught Robin never to use guns of any kind, so why would he be carrying around one now?_

 _The security footage switched to cameras outside of the buildings. Robin raced across the rooftop of Wayne Enterprises as the Teen Titans scurried after him. Bruce and Alfred watched in silence as Robin began to fight the Titans.  
_

" _Can we get audio?" Alfred asked._

 _Bruce twiddled the controls on the computer. In addition to learning American Sign Language, he had also learned how to read lips. It was a useful technique to use for listening in on faraway conversations._

 _He rewound the security footage and watched Robin closely. Robin held a thermal blaster to the Tamaranean's face, but never shot her._

" _Robin," she said, "I cannot live in a world where we must fight. If you are truly evil then go ahead. Do what you must."_

 _At these words Robin lowered his arm._

" _Starfire…no…I—"_

 _His entire body jerked as he shot a hand up to his ear._

 _Someone was speaking to him, giving him orders through a com-link._

 _The alien began to twitch violently. Robin caught her falling body and began to shout into the night, to whoever was speaking to him on the other end._

" _Stop!" Robin shouted. "Please stop!"_

 _An expression of pure terror came over Robin's face. Even with the mask on Dick's face Bruce recognized that expression. Right when he watched his parents fall to their deaths a similar expression had crossed his face._

 _Someone was going to die._

 _Bruce found his own heart pounding as he watched Robin struggling to comprehend the orders being fed into his ear. Robin set the alien girl gently down._

" _I'm sorry," Robin said._

 _Robin lifted the thermal blaster and shot her._

 _The tray that Alfred had been holding dropped to the floor._

" _My God…" Alfred said. "What has happened?"_

 _For once Bruce said nothing as he pondered the meaning of this. In the security footage Robin stood still, his head cocked to the side as he listened to the voice on the other end. His arm shook and his lips trembled._

 _Several different ideas ran through his head. He could cancel that conference with Lucius and hop on a plane to Jump City. He could call Titans Tower. He could assemble the Justice League. He could do many things._

 _He stood up._

" _Sir, it would look strange for Batman to be concerned about what happens in Jump City—"_

" _Not when it concerns Robin."_

" _Master Bruce, don't do anything rash."_

" _SOMEONE IS BLACKMAILNG HIM!" Bruce roared. "How can you possibly think that I'm going to leave him like that?"_

 _Alfred looked shocked at this outburst._

" _No, sir, I know you well enough that you won't leave this alone." Alfred picked up the fallen tray. "Remember, sir, that you are not the only one who cares for Master Dick."_

 _He found his hands curling into fists. Whoever was behind this was going to pay._

" _Master Bruce, you need your rest."_

" _How can I rest, Alfred?"_

 _Although he didn't want to admit it, Bruce was shaken. Someone had taken his ward, his son, and turned all of his training against him._

" _I'm sure that there is a good explanation for all of this," Alfred said, "besides, Gotham needs Batman."_

 _Despite his best efforts, the Joker was not behind bars. Tonight was only the beginning of another merry chase of death and destruction._

He went downstairs towards the grandfather cloak. He turned the hands to 10:45 and walked down into the bat cave. Bruce could still remember the shock he felt at Dick's apparent betrayal. Yet at the same time he knew something was wrong. Dick wouldn't just turn on him. At least, not without good reason.

Only after the Titans defeated Deathstroke and Robin escaped did Bruce hear anything more about what happened. Even that information was filtered through Alfred. It infuriated him to learn that Dick lived with the psycho for nearly a month before the break-in at Wayne Enterprises. At Alfred's insistence, Bruce never mentioned it directly to Dick the few times they spoke afterwards.

If Dick had died or gone insane, Bruce would never stop blaming himself.

"Master Bruce, your breakfast."

"Thanks, Alfred."

He took the breakfast tray and set it down on the counter.

"What did Mr. Kent say?"

Bruce stared at the computer screens. He thought of calling Dick himself, but then decided against it.

"Dick needs help."

He thought seriously about what Clark said to him. Bruce always thought that Deathstroke made Robin steal from Wayne Enterprises because it represented Gotham…but what if it meant more? What if Deathstroke wanted Bruce Wayne's attention? What if…

Bruce shook his head. He shouldn't be prying into the history dead villains. Even if Deathstroke did threaten Bruce the case was closed. He was dead. Markov killed him.

"With what, sir?"

"His team."

He spread the two newspapers in front of him and began to study the articles carefully. Even if Dick didn't want his help that didn't mean Bruce wouldn't. If his memory served, this was the third attack on the Teen Titans. If these attacks continued then he would hop on the next flight to California.

 _Why would whoever's attacking them to go the trouble of pushing this to the Planet?_ Bruce thought. _The Gotham Globe? It's as if he wants the whole world to know he's attacking the Titans. In fact…_

Taking out his Justice League signal device, Bruce decided to call Ollie. Barry maybe as well, just to see what was happening across the country.

"Ollie," Bruce said, "what's the news in Star City?"

"Nothing much," Ollie replied, "Why?"

"Did you hear about the Tamaranean-Gordanian War?"

"We heard about that alien war. Are we going to stop it?"

"No…" Bruce paused. "That's all I wanted to know. Take care, Ollie."

He shut off his communicator. He knew that if he called the others they would all say the same thing.

Who benefits?

Bruce thought long and hard about this. Of course, he didn't know all of the details. Perhaps if he called Dick—no, the kid wouldn't talk to him. Perhaps he had been a bit hard last time they talked.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said, "perhaps I should call him."

Bruce rubbed his temple with two fingers.

"No, you don't have to."

There was still a little time before he had to prepare for that press conference. He pushed his files on Clayface to the side. Those could wait. Instead he went to a cabinet on the far side of the room and opened it. Inside were old papers and files, but also a few other things. Bruce didn't know why, but he pulled out an old video tape labeled "Batman and Robin special."

Was he feeling nostalgic? No, but he honestly cared for Dick.

The computer screen flickered as the tape began to play. It was an old TV special about Batman and Robin that occasionally ran on television once in a while. Alfred taped it for them while they were away. He watched his younger self and a ten-year-old Robin sprint across the rooftops after some crook. A natural aerialist, Robin seemed to fly through the air as he leapt gracefully from rooftop-to-rooftop. He really did make Batman look clumsy sometimes.

"Holy atomic pile, Batman!" Robin said, his voice young and excited. "What are we going to do now?"

Bruce smiled.

 **-C-**

7:36am.

Jump City, California.

Jump City Maximum Security Prison

Passing through the metal detectors wasn't really an option for him.

The Head of Security was at a loss as to what to do about the "no weapons" policy, since all of Cyborg's weapons were embedded within his system. They had probably expected Robin to show up. It would have been much easier if Robin came instead of him. But no…he had to make _another_ phone call.

"Follow me, please," said the Head of Security. "And…uh…try not to pay attention to the other prisoners."

Who was he calling all the time? Cyborg figured he probably called Batman a few days ago, so who was he calling now? If he needed to call Batman he could have used the main computer, but it was obvious that he wasn't calling Batman this time.

Although Robin didn't talk about it much, did he have a family in Gotham? Was he calling them? How did he become Batman's sidekick in the first place? How did his family take it…unless…unless Batman was his father?

Cyborg had never thought of that before. No one knew who Batman was, so it was very possible that they could be father and son. Maybe that's why their relationship was a little testy.

"So, where's the rest of your team?" The head of security asked. "Why only you?"

"All working on different leads." Cyborg looked at him. "It's serious."

"Hmm."

Prisoners dressed in bright orange jumpsuits pressed themselves against the bars of their cells as they passed by. Some old villains began to shout catcalls and jeers at Cyborg. He did his best to ignore them, but they reminded him of one important fact: the two villains who should be behind these bars were Brother Blood and whoever triggered the dust.

"This is Cinderblock's cell."

Initial cleanup had already begun, but there was a still a wide gaping hole in the side of the cell. Several guards dressed in their black, white, and red uniforms mulled about. Cyborg felt a little uneasy about having so many of the guards congregated in one area

The security guards looked up at Cyborg with curiosity. They've seen him before, of course, but never interacted except when someone big broke out of prison.

"I need to know how Cinderblock escaped from prison."

They exchanged uneasy glances. Cyborg rolled his eyes. It wasn't as if they were the ones who had to pick up the bad guys every time there was a prison break.

"Come on, guys, this is the third time he's escaped from prison."

"Well, technically, Slade let him out the first two times."

"Then how did he get out this time?"

The lights dimmed as a schematic of the prison was projected onto the wall. The Head of Security used a laser pointer to highlight different areas of the prison.

"Some of the circuits tripped at about 12:13 Friday morning," he said, "which allowed Cinderblock to break through the electric barrier in his cell. We determined the cause to be the storm."

"But it didn't start raining until around one—"

"The lightening storm turned into a thunderstorm. It caused a minor blackout that lasted for about ten minutes. It was enough time for Cinderblock to escape."

A plausible explanation. But it still didn't make sense: after escaping from prison, why would Cinderblock immediately wreck havoc? Of course, he was a stupid brick, but even a stupid brick wouldn't be that stupid.

"That's it?"

"Indeed it is."

"Can't I take a look at the security cameras or—"

"You got a search warrant?"

Cyborg was taken aback by this statement.

"Look, kid," the head of security said, "I appreciate what you and the Titans do. But I can't let you have access to all of our information. We've given you enough information to assist you."

If he wasn't allowed the view the security cameras, then how could Cyborg figure out who released Cinderblock. It seemed as though the Head of Security was adamant about the lightening storm being the cause of Cinderblock's escape.

Seething, Cyborg turned to leave. Maybe if he could get Robin's butt over here the Head of Security would listen. Because Robin was the only Titan to appear "normal" civilians always seemed to prefer talking to him.

"Cyborg?"

One of the guards approached him. He had his helmet off. Cyborg looked down at this mousy-haired man.

"Um…" the man began, but trailed off. "I…I do have information…"

"What's your name?"

"Bill Menville."

"Talk."

"I let out Cinderblock."

Cyborg stared. He had suspected that someone did it, but he didn't expect the perpetrator to say it so bluntly.

"Why didn't you come forward before?"

"I was scared." He looked down at the floor. "No one paid me to do it! I'm not a dirty Gotham cop!"

"Then why did you let Cinderblock escape?"

"Blackmail."

Robin's apprenticeship was the first thing that popped to Cyborg's mind at that word. He himself had never been the victim of blackmail. He looked down at Menville, a man probably in his early to mid thirties.

"The lightening storm didn't cause the wires to trip. During one of my breaks I went in and messed with the circuits. I disabled the alarm system and allowed Cinderblock to escape."

"Were you told to do it at a specific time?"

"Yes." He held up a cheap, disposable cell phone. "When I received a message on this phone I was told to release Cinderblock."

Before Cyborg could say anything Menville leaned in close and lowered his voice.

"Listen, kid," Menville said, "I hope you catch whoever's doing this. I got several phone calls from some guy threatening me and my family. When I refused he blew up a bomb on my porch and said that next time it'll go off in my kids' rooms."

An expression of acute anxiety crossed Menville's face.

"I thought you guys could handle it. You've beaten Cinderblock before." Menville's face scrunched in anguish. "Unless…have I done something terrible?"

Cyborg looked down at the guard. Menville's anxiety seemed genuine, but if Cyborg doubted he could always get some background information on the guy.

"No, you did what you had to do. It's fine. You've already helped."

Cyborg turned to leave the vicinity.

A breakout from the Jump City Maximum Security Prison certainly caught their attention. If Cinderblock was the first signal, then what happened thereafter? He tried to think through the events of the past few days logically.

On Thursday night Robin went to the basement and took out Slade's mask. Cyborg came down just in time to see him cough as the dust settled into his nervous system. Menville released Cinderblock from prison. Robin goes crazy. What was the signal after that for the next agent? Friday afternoon Robin stays home. Mark Wolfman vandalizes Terra's tomb. Saturday morning, Beast Boy goes nuts. Monday morning the front page article on the Daily Planet states that Tamaran has been invaded. Starfire tries to leave Earth.

Whoever coordinated these attacks knew exactly how each Titan would respond to the situation. Cyborg's lips thinned. He himself was yet to be attacked. It was just a flip of the coin to determine whether he or Raven would be next.

Of course, he didn't know what was going to happen next. For the others it was fairly obvious what to attack, but Raven…Raven was a wild card. Cyborg mentally steeled himself for whatever was going to come his way. He _wouldn't_ let whatever was planned for him get to his head.

He just wouldn't.

 **-Rae-**

8:08am.

Northwestern California Observatory.

Dr. Cipes' office.

The Northwestern California Observatory was nestled in between the wedge of a mountain range. The great white dome contrasted against the dark green hues of the surrounding trees, the metal tip of the telescope glinting as it peeked out to study the sun.

"Why did Robin send us all the way up here?" Beast Boy asked, stopping to rest against a tree. "Maybe if I had a moped, I wouldn't have had to _fly_ the whole way."

 _The real question,_ Raven thought, scowling, _is why Robin paired me up with Beast Boy._ As they walked along the road leading up to the observatory Raven looked at her notes again. Unlike Beast Boy, who complained the entire way, Raven had done her homework before going.

"Already this Dr. Cipes seems sketchy," Raven said, "just looking at his history."

"Why?"

"He has a Masters degree in astrophysics. His area of specialization is globular star clusters. Why would he be studying exoplanets like Tamaran?"

"Umm…"

Raven shook her head and rolled her eyes. Scientific jargon aside, Beast Boy should have at least gotten the gist of what she was talking about.

"He's not the person to go to for something like this. This is a thin disguise. This won't hold for long."

They continued on their way. Raven felt some good vibes from this place. Here were honest workers who hadn't the faintest clue about the Tamaranean-Gordanian war. They walked up to the front door and knocked.

"Oh!" the astronomer said. "The Teen Titans. What do I owe this…uh…pleasure?"

He seemed genuinely surprised to see them there. Beast Boy and Raven hadn't wasted any time calling ahead of time. If Dr. Cipes was one of the bad guys, then he would haul butt the moment he knew the Teen Titans were after him.

"We need to talk to one of your researchers. Is Dr. Glen Cipes around?"

"Yeah, he's here." The astronomer gestured for them to follow him. "Right this way, Titans."

He led them down a long hallway and past the room where the telescope was located.

"Dude," Beast Boy said, glancing up at the huge telescope, "it's not nighttime, why is the telescope out?"

"The stars are still out, Beast Boy," the astronomer replied, "the sun's light is just blocking them. Right now we are monitoring sunspots on the surface of the sun."

"Oh…"

"This is his office," the astronomer said.

Raven knocked on Dr. Cipes office. A middle-aged man opened the door. He stepped back at the sight of the two Titans. His eyes widened behind his thick glasses, but then returned to their normal size in an instant.

"I suppose you're here to ask about that article in the Daily Planet," Dr. Cipes said. "Please, sit down."

He gestured towards two chairs opposite of his desk. They sat down.

"So, where's Robin?" Dr. Cipes asked. "Where is the rest of your team, for that matter?"

"Does it matter?" Raven asked.

Her tone suggested that he should leave the matter at rest. Beast Boy looked around the room with a bored expression on his face. As Raven expected, she would be the one who would have to do all of the talking.

"It says here that you specialize in globular star clusters," Raven said, taking out her notes. "There are few in the Vegan system, Dr. Cipes."

"Yeah…what she said," Beast Boy said, trailing off lamely.

For a few moments Dr. Cipes simply stared at them, his eyes shifting quickly from one Titan to the other.

"Okay!" Cipes said, holding up his hands. "Look, I know nothing about the Vega System or the Tamaranean-Gordanian War."

"Then why were you listed as a source for that Daily Planet article?" Raven asked.

"Because I was the one who called the Daily Planet to inform them of the invasion."

"Why?"

The astronomer looked annoyed. Again, Raven wondered why Robin sent them to investigate this man. While Beast Boy loved to hear the sound of his own voice Raven wasn't much of a talker. She disliked interrogating people.

And this was the second time in two days she was doing this.

"Unless you want to be arrested for fraud, you're going to have to talk."

"Fraud?"

"Yes, fraud. So unless you have solid proof that there is an invasion you're going to jail for fraud."

"Fine." Dr. Cipes said, uncrossing his arms. "My research is toast. I'm losing my funding. This guy offers me money to keep my project going. How could I refuse? I've got to bring the bacon home."

"Who?" Beast Boy asked.

"Who? I don't know who. I didn't know that this was going to hurt the Titans."

Raven sensed that Dr. Cipes was telling the truth.

"Where did the money come from?" Raven asked. "How did you get it?"

"The money was electronically transferred from a Swiss Bank account to mine."

Of course, it just had to be a Swiss Bank account. It was probably untraceable as well.

"We're not going to call the police," Raven said, "not until we know who your boss is."

Dr. Cipes looked from Beast Boy to Raven.

"So, does this mean that I won't go to prison?"

"You accepted a bribe and participated in fraud. If we don't call the police one of your colleagues is bound to notice the same connection we made."

"So either way," Beast Boy said, "you're in deep doodoo."

Beast Boy and Raven's communicators rang. They exchanged glances and left the room. They stood out in the empty hallway just outside of Dr. Cipes' office and snapped open their communicators. Everyone was on their communicators, ready to discuss the fruits of their investigations.

"Listen up," Robin said, "I've got a lead within the Daily Planet. He's going to help us."

"Really?" Beast Boy asked. "Who?"

"That's not important."

"But how do you know we can trust him?" Cyborg asked.

"Trust me, he's reliable."

Robin's tone was final.

"We've got a problem," Cyborg said, "not all of the agents are paid bricks. One of the security guards was blackmailed into releasing Cinderblock."

"So what does that mean" Beast Boy demanded. "We can still track this guy down, right?"

"Of course," Robin said, "but now the game's afoot. We now know that whoever's behind this is willing to use anyone as a delivery boy."

"Now we have to be more careful," Raven said.

"The article in the Daily Planet is obviously the next signal," Robin said, "Raven, Cyborg, I want you to think of anything or anyone that can be attacked to hurt you."

Fear, intimidation, bribery—slowly but surely the puzzles pieces were falling into place. Raven bristled as a feeling of foreboding overcame her. Were they too late? Only after three of them were attacked could they discern any sort of pattern in these attacks. Or perhaps they might be able to solve it backwards like an algebra equation. What was the unknown "x"? The person who triggered the dust.

Although she didn't want to say it out loud, Raven felt as though there was nothing they could do but face the challenges thrown into their faces.

Even if it hurt them.

* * *

 **A/N:** AW BRUCIE! YOU'RE SO ADORABLE!

I actually looked up some Batman and Robin quotes from the old Adam West TV show for that scene. Robin's lines are pretty hysterical.

Also, how would Batman _not_ notice that his branch was…well…pretty much destroyed? I don't know, I've always wondered how Batman reacted…

I tried something a little different with this chapter: writing the time, city, and place of each character. Now I only did this because Clark and Bruce are across the continent and I thought that, since I did it with those two, that I should continue with the Titans.

And…um…I'm sort of an amateur astronomer…I had to let out my inner geek somehow…

I'm going to try to get the next chapter up soon since I'm going on vacation soon. Now I will still be writing, but I'm going to be 9,000 feet above sea level. I might not have Internet.

REVIEW!


	16. Adeline

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Grr…I don't own Teen Titans…

**Disclaimer:** Grr…I don't own Teen Titans…

 **A/N:** I know I'm sort of dragging out the mystery of who triggered the dust, but if it's any consolation know that I have the climatic chapter already written. Build-up is necessary. _Trust me…._

Anyway, back to the story!

* * *

"I understand HOW but I do not understand WHY."

-Winston Smith, 1984.

* * *

Chapter 15: Adeline

 **-S-**

Starfire struggled to contain herself.

Every second that passed by felt like agony. She wanted to contact Galfore again, but Robin didn't want anyone touching the computer. Once Cyborg came back from the Jump City Maximum Security Prison he would figure out what was wrong.

That is, if something _was_ wrong.

She floated sadly to the common room, where Robin was sitting at the computer. A dossier of a brown-haired woman named Adeline Kane was opened on the screen. Robin leaned forward against the desk and placed his folded hands underneath his chin.

She was the only one who didn't have anything to do. All she wanted to do was fix her technology and affirm that Tamaran had not been invaded. Even Robin, who didn't leave the Tower, was working on another lead.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Robin replied. "Her name is Adeline Kane, although at one point she was married and her name was Wilson. Doesn't say who she was married to, though."

He spoke in a slight monotonous tone, as though the subject of Adeline Kane bored him. But knowing him as well as she did, Starfire knew that it merely hid the fear he felt inside.

"Why are you looking her up?"

"My meeting with Wintergreen didn't lead me to a dead end," he said. "He gave me a contact, but told me only to talk to her as a last resort."

Starfire still did not know whether or not to trust this Wintergreen. True, Robin knew and understood the man better than she did…but the man worked for Slade! What if Wintergreen was leading them into another trap?

"Why did Wintergreen believe that she would help you?"

"I'm not sure if she will help in this investigation, but she is connected to Slade. Judging from her age, I'd say she may be his sister or a family member, a friend, a neighbor or…" he trailed off, shaking his head. "No. Not that."

Even Starfire could tell that he was about to say "lover."

"Robin…"

Star had heard the tail-end of Robin's conversation with whoever he called twenty minutes ago. Despite his bravado he could not hide the fear in his voice as he spoke to whoever it was. He turned his head slightly to look at her.

"Are you quite all right?"

"I'm fine, Starfire. How about you? Are you feeling alright?"

"No," she replied, "I am not."

He tried to smile, but failed.

 _She loved his smile._

 _If there was anything she hated about Slade, it was the fact that he made Robin smile less even after he came home. He tried so hard not to let her and the others know that he was still hurting inside. Things had changed between them all. They were subtle things._

 _All five of the Titans lay on the rooftop of Titans Tower. Although it was nearly three in the morning all of them were wide awake as they watched streaks of light flit above them. Beast Boy gasped a brilliant meteor streaked across the sky._

 _"DUDE!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "That was a big one!"_

 _She turned her head to look at him. Robin smiled widely as he watched the stars go by._

 _"So where's Tamaran?" he asked, rolling to his side to look at her._

 _Starfire squinted up at the night sky. These were the same stars she could see from her home world, but in different positions._

 _"I think it is there," she said, pointing. "The Vega System."_

 _She pointed to a hazy path of sky._

 _"It's weird, you know," Robin said, "it was always too smoggy in Gotham to see the stars."_

 _At her insistence Starfire had Robin tell her about his life in Gotham. Of course she never asked questions about his personal history, but she was genuinely interested about Robin's life as a sidekick. The idea intrigued her._

 _"Yeah, the light pollution there must be terrible," Cyborg said._

 _Robin laughed. He turned his attention back towards the starry sky._

 _"I never realized how…how vast space is. It must be nice, being able to explore the galaxy without a clunk respirator…"_

 _At once his smile faded._

 _In that moment Starfire knew what was bothering him. He didn't need to say anything more for her to understand. His chest rose and fell as he closed his eyes, as though trying to contain a nightmare threatening to burst out of him. Starfire didn't know what had caused him to remember his time as Slade's apprentice, but she wouldn't ask._

 _No one else noticed his sudden change in mood._

 _The man didn't even have to be here to cast his evil spell on Robin. It had only been a few weeks since he escaped from Slade's clutches. Everyone knew that he suffered from nightmares. There was an unspoken agreement among the four other Titans not to mention it around him._

 _"Out in the open…" he murmured in a voice so low only she could hear. "Too vulnerable…"_

 _Starfire allowed her hand to creep besides his. In that instant she felt a burning hated for Slade. The criminal had imprinted more than just bruises on him. Robin couldn't relax and couldn't enjoy the simple things in life knowing that Slade was still out there._

 _Robin stood up._

 _"Hey, where are you going?" Cyborg asked._

 _"Inside," Robin said. "Maybe you should come with me."_

 _Without waiting for an answer Robin walked away from them and went back inside. Starfire felt her heart sinking at the sight of him in this depressed state. Tonight was supposed to be a fun night. Tonight was supposed to be a time where they bonded and told stories and laughed. Not as superheroes out fighting bad guys but as regular teenagers having a good time._

 _Just a night underneath the stars._

"The intruder didn't just steal Slade's things," Robin said, "he messed with your technology. Who knows what else he did?"

"We may be wasting time," Starfire replied, "if the Gordanians have invaded Tamaran then it is my duty to fight for my people."

Despite Robin's calm but assertive assurances that Tamaran had not been invaded, she still believed that she shouldn't be on earth. No one knew what was going on.

"I understand, I feel the same way about the team and this city, but the perpetrator wanted you to leave earth." He turned his attention back to the computer screen. "We can't let this get personal."

Robin was wrong. Already this had gone much too personal.

"What is troubling you? Why will you not call the Batman for assistance?"

His shoulders arched at the mention of Batman.

"It's just that…" Robin paused. "We haven't gotten along in years. I got so mad at him that I…I punched him in the face."

These Earth customs were strange.

"But why would you harm your _knorfka?"_

Robin merely looked at her. She didn't understand why anyone would do that. True, she may have disagreed with Galfore plenty of times before, but she would never physically harm him. It was obvious to everyone that he had problems with the Batman, but Starfire knew that their relationship was rather like hers with Galfore.

"What is troubling you?" Starfire repeated, her voice rising. "Whatever troubles you troubles me!"

Did she expect an answer? Yes and no. The edges of his mask arched as a concerned expression crossed his face. He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed them gently.

All she wanted were answers.

She wanted to know the boy behind the mask. She wanted to understand why he refrained from telling her about his past. Starfire understood how Robin felt, but she didn't understand why he felt anger and resentment to his former mentor. It seemed as though he was pushing away the only person who he could relate to. The only person who would truly understand how he felt.

"What's been bothering me…" he said. "So many things…

She would never force the mask off of his face. Slade had done that to him, why should she stoop to such a low level?

"Star," Robin said quietly, "Slade made me steal from my father."

Starfire stared. No one else knew what had happened during the weeks he stayed with Slade. They could only assume the worst. It seemed to take most of his courage to admit this to her. She didn't quite understand. He used to live in Gotham. Did Slade fly him out to Gotham to do this?

"And…does your father know this?"

"Yes."

Was it this guilt eating away at him that caused him to become so abrasive? If it was the case, then by all means Robin should be talking to his father. Robin obviously did not wish to elaborate.

"I think it's time that I meet Ms. Kane," he said, turning. "I'll go alone."

"Take me with you," she said. "I will come with you to see this Adeline Kane."

He opened his mouth to argue, but Starfire wouldn't hear it. She went up to him and looked down.

"You have been alone for far too long!" she exclaimed, sticking a finger in his chest. "Whoever triggered the dust wishes to take us apart!"

When it came down to the basics that was what this was all about: disassembling the Titans. Once they were divided then it would be easy for the criminal behind these attacks to take over Jump City. Starfire could not let this happen. She would also not let Robin purposefully separate himself from the others.

That was exactly what the perpetrator wanted.

"It's just that…this is personal, Star. I don't know who this woman is or what her connection is to Slade."

"All the more reason I should come with you."

For a moment Robin looked as if he wanted to argue some more. However, after considering her for a moment he pulled out his communicator.

"We're going to follow a lead, guys," Robin said. "We'll be back by this afternoon."

"Where? And who?" Beast Boy asked.

"Adeline Kane. Lives close by here."

"Who's she?"

"I'm not sure," Robin said, "but she's connected to Slade."

"Robin…" Cyborg said warningly.

"Wintergreen gave me the contact. She may be able to help us track down whoever triggered the dust." He motioned for her to follow. "Let's go."

 **-C-**

Back at the Tower.

"Yeah," Cyborg said into the phone, "please tell the kids to be careful. It might be best for them to stay home."

He hung up and sighed. Cyborg didn't like the fact that the school for handicapped kids he volunteered at were at risk because of him. He thought about calling his dad—even though they hadn't talked in a while—just to be sure. Anything could happen.

"Raven, is there anyone you need to call?"

"Trust me, there is nothing the perpetrator of the dust can do to me," she replied. "Nothing."

Cyborg's eyes narrowed. Unlike the others Cyborg knew almost nothing of Raven's past. Of course, as her friend he didn't want to pry into things she didn't want to talk about.

"You have people you care about in danger," she said. "Don't worry about me."

She drew her cloak more tightly around herself. Even if she could be a little creepy sometimes Cyborg did worry about her like the rest of the team. When Raven got angry she got angry. There was no telling what she would do if someone attacked her.

A red light and siren began to bleep.

"What's it now?" Beast Boy asked, his voice a whine.

"The HIVE again," Raven said. "It looks like they're on the move."

Cyborg found himself grinding his teeth. During his time at the HIVE Academy he had plenty of opportunities to take out Brother Blood. Hell, the HIVE Headmaster thought that he was one of the best students in the school. To some extent, Cyborg felt as though it was his fault that the HIVE was still running. The next time he saw Brother Blood…

"We should go after them," Cyborg said. "Right now."

"What about Robin and Starfire?" Beast Boy asked. "They're still working on that lead."

"It's the HIVE. We can handle them. If we need backup then I'll call them."

They went.

 _Fifteen minutes later..._

"What's up with Brother Blood?" Cyborg asked himself quietly. "This is the second attack this week."

Whatever the HIVE was up to, they were clearly planning to execute their plan sometime soon. The three Titans faced the squad of HIVE students, who were wreaking havoc in Jump City's main shopping district.

"Whoa, who are they?" Beast Boy asked.

Raven and Beast Boy looked towards Cyborg for an answer. Cyborg did recognize some of these kids by name, but he didn't know any of them personally. One or two were in a couple of his classes. A kid named Billy Numerous, Kyd Wykkyd, and Private HIVE were among the group.

"Hey look, it's Stone," Private HIVE said, sneering. "Hey, do you guys remember his hazing?"

"Ya mean when Jinx dressed him in a tutu?" Billy Numerous asked. "Yessire!"

At this Beast Boy began to laugh, but a cold glare from Cyborg caused him to shut up.

Cyborg cracked his knuckles.

"Bring it on."

 **-R-**

Robin knocked on the door.

A woman answered the door. Locks of curly brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, framing a pretty face hardened slightly with age. She wore an outfit of varying shades of pink, but she didn't look ostentatious.

"Adeline Kane?" Robin asked.

The woman nodded.

"I was wondering when you would show up. Come inside."

As they stepped into the house Robin heard someone playing the piano. When they went into the living room he saw a blond-haired teenage boy at the piano. Robin thought it was a Mozart piece. When the two came into the living room the boy stood up, his fingers hovering over the keyboard.

"This is my son, Joseph," Adeline said.

Joseph nodded in acknowledgement and smiled a little. To Robin's surprise the boy began to sign to his mother. His arms and fingers moved swiftly to form words and phrases.

" _Do you want me to stay?"_ he asked.

"If you want to," she replied, "Titans, would you mind if Joseph joins us?"

Robin looked at the blond-haired boy, who was smiling cheerfully at him.

"No…I guess not, Ms. Kane."

"Don't call me Ms. Kane. Call me Adeline."

How odd. Robin had always been taught to call adults by their last name. Back east it was customary to do that, but out here in California everyone called adults by their first names.

"You were wondering when I would show up?" Robin asked.

"Yes. I knew that it was only a matter of time before you found out who I was." She led them to the back porch and gestured towards two lawn chairs. "Please, sit down."

Robin and Starfire sat down in the chairs. He found himself tense. Well, what was he expecting? To be honest, Robin didn't know what to expect. Wintergreen had only given him a name and nothing more. Despite Robin's best efforts he couldn't figure out the connection between Adeline and Slade.

Adeline took out a box of cigarettes and lit one. Out of the corner of his eye Robin saw Starfire's nose wrinkle as the acrid smell of the cigarette smoke wafted to her. Growing up in Gotham had made Robin immune to the stench of garbage and cigarette smoke. Well, at least they were outside.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Adeline Kane," Adeline said, "I used to be in the military, but retired once I married and had children. I know who you two are, of course. Who doesn't know about the Titans?"

Her tone wasn't mocking, but rather matter-of-fact.

"Are you a friend or a foe?" Robin asked.

"We have a common enemy, Robin," she said, standing up to stare out of the window. "One who is long dead."

"Slade."

She nodded. "I am the one responsible for his missing eye."

He looked up at her, startled. Even as Robin the Boy Wonder, trained by one of the best superheroes in the world, he couldn't defeat Slade by himself. If this woman managed to take Slade's eye out, then she must be extremely well-trained. Or Slade had been careless.

"How?"

"I shot him."

All at once Robin felt a rush of gratitude towards Adeline. He had always wondered whether Slade was really blind in that eye. He suspected, of course, but wasn't stupid enough to ask. She admitted this calmly, as though she shot super-powered mercenaries in the eye every day.

"So, Titans, why are you here to see me?"

"Have you been reading the papers?" Robin asked.

"Every day."

"This morning's edition of The Daily Planet featured an article about an invasion."

"It claimed that my home world, Tamaran, had been invaded by the Gordanians," Starfire said, "our worst enemy."

Robin shifted in his chair. "There was dust in Slade's mask. It released a chemical reagent that infiltrated my central nervous system. It caused me to see, hear, and feel Slade. Now the rest of the Titans are being attacked, with this article being the latest."

He waited for a reaction. Adeline sat still in her seat, quietly smoking her cigarette.

"William Wintergreen said that you may be able to help us," Robin said.

"Ah, Wintergreen…I haven't seen that man in years." Adeline's face hardened. "And he suggested that I would help you."

"Can you help us?" Starfire asked.

Adeline tapped the tip of her cigarette against an ash tray and studied them closely.

"Perhaps. Since he is dead, however, it will be more difficult to locate the perpetrator. We can only assume that whoever triggered the dust was close to Slade."

"Were you?"

Robin didn't know why he asked that. Adeline considered him for a moment, as though wondering whether it would be prudent to answer.

"He used to be my husband."

Robin stood up in shock. For once he was at a loss for words.

"What?"

Slade and Adeline. Adeline and Slade. He felt himself tense, as though getting ready for a fight.

"Calm down," Adeline said, "I said that he used to be my husband. Once I knew that he was the criminal Deathstroke I divorced him. And I divorced him only because I didn't manage to kill him myself."

" _As a last resort, Richard," Wintergreen said._

Those words suddenly made sense.

"I didn't know who he was for a long time," she said. "Not until our family was affected because of his contracts."

His contra—oh. The man was a mercenary. He was paid to kill people. A shiver ran down Robin's back as he remembered that Slade tried to train him to become an assassin as well.

"I am truly sorry for what happened to you," Adeline said. "I did hear about the apprenticeship."

"How…?"

Aside from Red X, hardly any of the Jump City criminals knew about the apprenticeship. That was the way Robin wanted it to be.

"When I took out his eye I meant to kill him," Adeline said. "I still followed him, but he's a tactician. He's always one step ahead of everyone, including me."

"So you knew what he did?" Robin asked, his voice bristling with anger. "Then why didn't you help me? Why didn't you warn me?"

"Like I said: he's always one step ahead."

This was a little too much to comprehend. His eyes shifted from Adeline to Joseph, who was watching the conversation in silence.

"He never mentioned…"

Robin trailed off as he looked towards Joseph. He felt his jaw drop as dawning comprehension overcame him. If Adeline used to be married to Slade then that young man must be…Slade's son…

Adeline noticed his gaze and shrugged.

"Never mentioned that he had a family? Why would he mention it to you?"

His head hung slightly at her words. Slade had a family. A wife. A son. How could someone fall from grace so easily? Why would he want Robin as a son?

"You knew him better than I did," Robin said. "Why did he do it to me?"

Smoke curled above her head as Adeline sat still in her chair, considering him. Robin felt more uncomfortable speaking about this to her than to Wintergreen. Here was a complete stranger who used to be so intimately close to his arch-enemy, a woman who was willing to help him. It was just so hard to fathom the man underneath that hateful metal mask as a human being.

"What's more important to you, Robin?" Adeline asked, leaning forward in her chair. "Dealing with your nightmares or figuring out who did this?"

Robin looked at her with wide eyes. Was that the real reason why he was here? The real reason why Wintergreen gave him this contact? To help him understand his own complex emotions and Slade's motivations?

"I…I don't have nightmares."

What a lie.

He swallowed as both women turned to look at him. Robin knew that it was the wrong thing to say, but it was instinctive for him to lie about it. Adeline shifted in her seat and studied him with her stern green eyes.

"When I saw Slade in full costume for the first time he scared the living hell out of me," she said. "Don't pretend he didn't frighten you too."

He folded his hands together and placed them against his forehead. Starfire and Adeline looked at him, waiting for a reply. His shoulders began to shake ever so slightly as he hung his head. He tried so hard not to feel fearful that his fear was consuming him.

" _I will annihilate them, Robin," Slade said, his finger over the button, "and I'll make you watch."_

" _I am the thing that keeps you up at night. The thing that hides in every dark corner of your mind—"_

 _Don't have a mental breakdown, Grayson,_ he thought, _not here…not now._

"I just want to understand," he said quietly.

All he wanted were answers.

He wanted answers to the questions that had been burning inside of him for nearly a year. People don't just do things. People have reasons, even the Joker has reasons for doing the things he did (even if that reason was insanity). Slade wanted an apprentice sure, but _why_ did he want an apprentice? _Why_ did he want a son?

Robin understood how Slade went about to entrap him. He understood how Slade used Robin's weakness against him and understood how Slade controlled him, but he didn't understand the man behind the mask. He didn't understand why Slade acted the way he did. A walking contradiction. With the revelation that he had a family, this only muddled Robin's theories even more.

Adeline sighed.

"I loved him but I didn't know him." Adeline dropped the butt of her cigarette into the ashtray. "He was a hard man to read."

"How could you love a man like him?"

It was a deeply personal question, perhaps one that he didn't have the right to ask. But then again, Robin didn't have the right to do anything while under Slade's control. He couldn't bring himself to hate Adeline, for she seemed to hate Slade as much as he did, but still…imagining Slade as a loving family man was just beyond his imagination.

He didn't expect an answer.

Adeline got out of her chair and walked up to him. He felt her tilt his head up so that they gazed at each other in the face.

"Chin up, Boy Wonder," she said. "Slade is in the past. Our past. He can't hurt us anymore."

Adeline smiled.

That smile went a long way. It was genuine; a mother's smile that calmly comforted him without words. Robin knew that Slade had seen this woman smile like that and had fallen in love. Even though Adeline did not elaborate on her past Robin felt a keen connection with her. Both of them had been hurt by Slade. Both of them had survived. Starfire placed a hand on his shoulder.

"The Bat trained you well," Adeline said, sitting back down. "To understand the benefits you have to understand the motivations. I don't know who triggered the dust, but I might be able to help."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that anyone can benefit from these attacks. News reporters have something to write about. Police have people to arrest. So, who was motivated to do these things?"

His communicator rang. At first Robin ignored it, but Adeline made a gesture for him to answer.

"Uh…Robin," Cyborg said. "We've got a problem."

"What is it?"

"The HIVE is attacking the west side of town."

"What? Why?" Robin demanded.

"I'm not sure, but we've already gone after them. We need backup."

"We're on our way."

Robin closed his communicator and looked back at Adeline.

"Sorry about that. We have to go. Thank you for your time."

Robin and Starfire moved towards the front door.

"I'm not going to go gallivanting off like a costumed crusader," Adeline said, "I'm not like you or my…former…husband. If you need help then you may contact me or my son."

"We don't want you or your son to get into this mess," Robin said at once. "We just—"

"If you do not stop these attacks from happening then you may need assistance."

"We'll figure this out."

An unpleasant knot tied itself in the pit of his stomach. He had said that at the beginning, back when it appeared that he was the primary target. He didn't like what Adeline was insinuating: that they _wouldn't_ be able to stop these attacks.

"We're just a phone call away."

Robin and Starfire walked out of the house. Robin took out his communicator and flipped it open.

"Who are you calling now?" Starfire asked.

"The Man of Steel."

 **-CK-**

4:53pm.

Metropolis.

Superman flew through the air above the sprawling city of Metropolis, a red-and-blue streak in the sky.

He landed on top of a skyscraper and surveyed the city below. Superman was waiting for John Wyatt to come out of the Daily Planet. Due to the sensitive nature of the article, Clark felt it prudent that he interrogate Wyatt as Superman instead of Clark Kent.

Superman wondered what Bruce was planning to do to help. With Clayface running around he couldn't just hop on a plane to California and abandon Gotham. Of course, there was trouble everywhere these days. A week didn't pass by without some sort of crisis occurring.

He leaned forward with a hand on his knee, surveying the city he protected. Even if Metropolis didn't have as many denigrates as Gotham there was still plenty of things for him to do. Superman didn't let the unsettling news about the Titans upset him. At least, he didn't let it show on his face. As one of America's most recognizable and respected superheroes he couldn't let anyone in on troubles within the superhero community. When they started to panic then the public began to panic.

His communicator buzzed.

"Superman," Dick said, "we confirmed the invalidity of the article. Dr. Glen Cipes, the astronomer who called the Planet to inform them of the invasion, admitted to being bribed."

So, this really was part of a larger conspiracy.

"So do you want me to confront Wyatt or not?"

"Of course. We also know that some people involved may not know that they are delivery boys."

Hmm.

Whatever Robin told him Clark planned on relaying to Bruce. He knew that Bruce hated to have information filtered through like this, but if anyone could solve this mystery then Batman could. On the other hand, Robin disliked having Batman coming to the rescue. Clark knew this and respected Robin's abilities as a leader.

But truthfully, Superman put the Titans' safety over Robin's pride.

"What else do you know?"

"Nothing much. Look, I'll call you later. The HIVE Academy is attacking again. I have to go."

He spotted the journalist leaving the Planet.

Like a bird of prey Superman swooped down to the streets. People exclaimed in surprise as he swept past them. Faster than a speeding locomotive…and just as subtle. Bits of paper and trash and ladies' skirts flew upward as he streaked by, heading straight for Wyatt.

"Wh—what the hell are you doing?" Wyatt asked.

Wyatt screamed as Superman lifted him into the air. He wouldn't let the guy drop to his death—he wasn't as mean as Bruce—but he did need the information.

"What do you know about the article on Tamaran?" Superman asked. "The one that appeared this morning on the Daily Planet?"

Wyatt's eyes widened.

"I—I don't know what you're talking about—"

"Mr. Wyatt, I don't want to hurt you. All I want to know is this: did you know that the information concerning the Gordanian invasion was fake?"

Wyatt's dark brown eyes searched the Man of Steel's face. A whoosh of warm air rustled Superman's cape as something large passed over them. Both Superman and Wyatt looked up to see a familiar star-spangled-clad figure sitting in an invisible aircraft. Wonder Woman raised a hand and waved.

Wyatt clutched at Superman's arms for dear life. His legs kicked at empty air as he looked anywhere but the ground. Superman flew to a nearby rooftop and set Wyatt gently down. The haggard journalist twitched, as though he meant to run, but then he thought better of it.

Wonder Woman drove her invisible ship down to the rooftop. Once she landed she hopped out of the plane, her dark hair blowing in the slight wind.

"I'm glad you could make it," Superman said.

"So am I," Wonder Woman replied.

The journalist wilted under the gaze of these two heroes, as though he knew that he wouldn't win no matter what he did. His eyes flickered towards the golden lasso glowing on Wonder Woman's hip.

"So, Mr. Wyatt," Wonder Woman said, unclasping the lasso and throwing a loop over the terrified journalist's head, "what _do_ you know about the Gordanian invasion?"

The lasso tightened around the man's chest and pinned his arms to his sides. As Wonder Woman jerked the lasso he fell to his knees, winching as she pulled to lasso tighter.

" _OKAY! OKAY!"_ Wyatt gasped. "I didn't know the information was fake! God, I'd rather be in prison…please….please stop."

Wonder Woman and Superman exchanged sidelong glances. Wyatt, however, kept talking.

"Look, I had no idea that this had to do with the Batman's kid, alright?" he spluttered. "It wasn't until after I wrote the article that I knew it had to do with the Teen Titans."

"So why did you write it?"

"The Planet likes to run articles about superheroes," Wyatt said, "usually the articles are about the exploits of the Justice League. I thought I would do something different. Yesterday I got a call from Dr. Glen Cipes. He said that the Gordanians are attacking a planet called Tamaran."

"And why did you believe him?"

"I didn't have any reason to doubt," Wyatt replied. "Why should I suspect something?"

Wonder Woman tugged at the lasso again, as though trying to goad him into telling more. But it seemed as though Wyatt had nothing else to say. Superman looked down at him with his arms crossed over his massive chest. Here was just a journalist who made an honest mistake. Wyatt was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. For all Clark knew he himself could have gotten that phone call.

"Let him go."

After shooting Superman a hard glance Wonder Woman released Wyatt from the confines of her lasso. Wyatt scurried past them and headed for the door leading down the building.

"Clark," Wonder Woman said, "what if the kids aren't the only ones who are being attacked?"

"I've thought of that possibility too, Diana. So has Bruce. We just don't know what's going to happen next."

Hopefully, the greatest detective in the world could figure this out.

 **-BB-**

They were losing.

Beast Boy skidded across the pavement as the HIVE student tossed him unceremoniously across the road. He grunted as his back hit a street lamp.

"Dude, where's Robin when we need him?" Beast Boy said.

"I called him," Cyborg said, "he and Starfire are on their way."

The three Titans were having a tough time battling the HIVE students, since they were severely outnumbered. This wasn't the same as battling an army of Sladebots. These were trained metahumans designed to wipe out the Titans. All they had to do, though, was stall until the cavalry arrived.

If they were fighting the normal batch of HIVE students (Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo) then it would have been easy getting rid of them. But this time there were fighting a different batch of students. If anything, it only alerted Beast Boy to the fact that there were _lots_ of kids under Brother Blood's rule.

"Have you had enough, green genes?" Private HIVE called out. "You look a little tired."

Beast Boy transformed into a tiger and swiped a paw at the nearest student, one that Cyborg identified as Private HIVE. A stupid brick if there ever was one.

The truth was, though, Beast Boy was tired. Perhaps it was because he had been mentally worn down in the past few days. Raven fought against a boy dressed in dark colors, a kid Cyborg called "Kyd Wykkyd" while Cyborg himself fought against another human brick.

"Hey kid," Private HIVE said, his voice taunting, "I heard about your girlfriend. I heard that she got wrapped up like a mummy on Halloween—"

Beast Boy tacked Private HIVE with the force of a speeding bullet. The two tumbled into an ally as they exchanged jabbing fists and kicks.

"You don't talk about Terra," he growled. "Ever."

"Why not, grass stain? Is it because she went to our side?"

He had had enough.

Transforming into a T-Rex, Beast Boy charged forward and opened his jaws wide. The smile on Private HIVE's face faded as he turned tail and ran. At once Billy Numerous split himself into twenty clones and surrounded him. Beast Boy roared threateningly, but this only caused the clones to hoot with laughter.

Cyborg came to Beast Boy's aid as he began to shoot the clones with his sonic cannon.

"BB, chill out," Cyborg said.

" _Chill out?"_ Beast Boy demanded. "They're mocking me! They're mocking Terra!"

"We can't just run into them like that!" Cyborg exclaimed. "You're letting things get too personal, man!"

Raven was thrown backward as the HIVE students finally went on the full offensive. The three Titans were bombarded with punches and kicks as the students surrounded them like some street gang. After a few minutes it was clear that the Titans had lost.

"See ya losers later!" Billy Numerous called out.

With a cacophony of catcalls and insults the HIVE students sped off. Beast Boy helped Raven to her feet. All of them stood panting and bruised. They had lost.

A motorcycle engine roared as Robin slid to a halt on the R-Cycle in front of them. Starfire flew alongside him.

"Where are they?" Robin demanded. "The HIVE students?"

"Well, I don't know," Beast Boy said, his tone mocking. "Uh..where were _you?"_

Robin shot Beast Boy an annoyed glance. After a moment Beast Boy decided to shut up. So they hadn't gotten here in time. No one was perfect.

"Let's go home," he said.

Everyone nodded. Slowly, everyone turned to leave.

"Do I have to do everything myself?" Robin muttered, hopping back on the R-cycle.

It seemed as though Robin wasn't aware that he said that out loud. No one said anything, though. They just got their butts kicked. And if they didn't figure out this mystery soon then they would get their butts kicked ten times over.

* * *

 **A/N:** You know, Adeline is badass in her own way. Also, I stayed up REALLY late watching the meteor shower and was inspired to write that little flashback. I know it's a little slow, but this is an important chapter. I'm sort of pleased with how Superman's POV turned out. I added in Wonder Woman at the last minute and loved it!

Oh, and let's just assume that Adeline lives somewhere near Jump...I really don't know where she lives...

I feel like I'm a snobby English major with all of the literature quotes…

So I wasn't sure if this chapter would be done by the time I had to leave, but look! It's finished! I make no promises about the release date of the next chapter, since I'll be preparing to move back into my dorm once I come back from vacation, but still feel free to PM me if nothing comes out. I'll be updating my LiveJournal, though, so if you're a crazy Internet stalker and want to know when I'll be back then check that out.

REVIEW


	17. Identities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Yes, copyrights are for sissies.

**Disclaimer:** Yes, copyrights are for sissies.

 **A/N:** Hello world. I am alive.

Wow! Over a hundred reviews! Thank you guys so much for your patience and the reviews! I usually get these chapters out at least once a week, so thank you for waiting. I had a lovely vacation away from the Internet and am ready to dominate all of my classes.

* * *

Chapter 16: Identities

 **-S-**

7:46pm

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

Starfire didn't know quite what to think of Adeline Kane. On one hand she admired the woman. She had been trained by the United States military just as Starfire had been trained by the Warlords of Okaara. On the other hand there was just a hint of doubt within her because of the woman's connection with Slade. Like Robin, it was hard for her to fathom Slade as a family man.

"Will you ask for Ms. Kane's assistance?" she asked Robin quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Depends," he replied.

They spoke in low voices, although Starfire did not quite understand why. It seemed as though they both silently agreed not to speak of Ms. Kane to the others. At least for the present.

Like with all of the other leads they had Ms. Kane's ran into a dead end. The other leads were either a dead end or led to another lead. The meeting also changed her opinion of William Wintergreen. She still couldn't decide whether she trusted the man completely, but he had pointed Robin towards the one person who could relate to him.

All five of the Titans were clustered in the common room, discussing the day's work as Cyborg worked on Starfire's computer.

Robin's communicator rang.

"Robin?" the voice asked. "Are you there?"

Starfire recognized the voice as Superman's. The man's pleasant voice comforted her somewhat. The others told her who Superman was and she felt a keen sort of connection with him even though she had never met the Man of Steel. He was the last man of Krypton, a destroyed planet she read about in her history books. She supposed that she should be grateful that her people were still alive, even if surrounding races continually threatened to attack them.

"Yeah, I'm here. You're on speaker phone."

"Uh…who's that?" Cyborg asked.

"Superman," Superman replied, sounding tired.

 _"What?"_ Beast Boy exclaimed, nearly squealing with glee. "SUPERMAN?"

 _"Is he your contact?"_ Cyborg mouthed, his eyes widening.

Robin hesitated to nod.

"I spoke with our contact inside the Daily Planet. John Wyatt is the journalist who wrote the article. He didn't know that the information was faked."

"And you confirmed this yourself?" Robin asked.

"Well…let's just say he got a little tied up."

A small smile crept across Robin's face. Starfire had no idea what Superman meant by that. Perhaps it was one of those inside jokes. That smile only lasted a brief second, though.

"So it's another dead end?" Robin asked.

"We're doing our best to help."

"'We'? Who else is involved?"

"Wonder Woman, Batman, and I have been gathering as much information as we can."

At the mention of Batman Robin's lips twisted into a grimace. Superman noted Robin's silence.

"Do you want to talk to Batman, Robin?"

"No. He can hide out in his cave for as long as he wants to."

"Suit yourself. I'll call again if we come up with anything."

Superman logged off. As Robin put his communicator away Beast Boy squealed again.

"I can't believe you know Superman!" he exclaimed. "You have to get me his autograph sometime!"

Starfire smiled at this "fanboy" attitude that overcame Beast Boy so often. Robin didn't smile. As Raven rolled her eyes Cyborg finally lifted his head from Star's computer.

"All right, Star," Cyborg said, stepping away from the computer. "I'm not exactly sure how your alien tech works, but try contacting Galfore now."

She held her breath as she pushed the button. After a few moments of fizzling the screen cleared. A Tamaranean voice began to speak, asking for voice identification.

"Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran," Starfire said in Tamaranean, barely containing her excitement.

Galfore's face popped on screen, a smile spreading across his face when he saw who it was.

"Hello my little _bumgorf!_ " he exclaimed.

Tears began to fall down her cheeks as an overwhelming sense of relief flooded through her.

The other Titans retreated from the room as Starfire and Galfore began to converse in Tamaranean. Words could not convey the happiness she felt at the knowledge that everything was right on her home world. The entire day she agonized over the supposed invasion. It was something she had never thought of before—the fact that someone would be clever enough to plant this seed of doubt in her mind.

Even though she knew it was faked she could not help but realize that a Gordanian invasion is a complete possibility. It is a fact of Tamaranean life that other races thought that her people were worthless nothings— _Troq,_ if the correct insult was to be used.

Because races like the Gordanians thought this was the reason why Tamaranean culture did not have room for coddling the weak. That was the reason why Starfire and her sister trained with the Warlords of Okaara: so that they could be strong leaders for their people. Not only physically strong, but mentally strong as well. To have the knowledge and strength to make the right decisions in situations like a possible invasion.

But she was not right for Tamaran.

"This troubles me deeply, princess," Galfore said, his brow furrowing. "The Gordanians have not made any move to attack us, but considering your escape from their prison ship two years ago…"

Starfire frowned. She did not like to be reminded of that particular episode.

"What about it?"

"Your neutral position on Earth has nullified the Citadel's ideas of retribution for destroying the Gordanian vessel, as has your decision not to take the crown. But it is still enough for the Citadel to declare war upon us."

This did trouble Starfire.

The Citadel's hostility was yet another worry always at the back of her mind. When the Gordanians captured her they intended to sell her as a slave to the Citadel.

 _Princess Koriand'r swung her shackled arms against the walls of her fortified prison, shouting loud obscenities in Tamaranean at her Gordanian captors._

"IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE DESTROYED YOU WILL RELEASE ME AT ONCE!" _she shouted, the heavy shackles doing nothing to weigh down her enthusiasm. "DO YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE DEALING WITH?"_

 _"Of course we do," one of the Gordanian soldiers sneered in rough Tamaranean, "you are Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, the second-in-line for the throne."_

 _It was a dumb question. Of course they knew who she was…why else would they have spent so much time and energy into capturing and restraining her? The metal crown resting upon her head declared her status to the universe. Her eyes glowed a ferocious neon green as she attempted to blast the shackles away with her starbolts._

 _She would_ not _tire herself out! She would not allow herself to be brought to submission like a helpless child. Starfire was a princess of Tamaran, trained by the Warlords of Okaara to fight to the death._

 _Starfire leaned against the wall and slid down to the floor, beads of sweat running down her face. Although she didn't want to admit it, she was tired and had lost. It infuriated her that she had allowed herself to fall so easily._

 _What would she do for her people?_

 _Starfire's legs curled as she leaned against the metal wall, the metal plating of her armor clinking together. If the Gordanians would leave her people alone, could she give herself up willingly to whatever horror they had in store for her? The door of her prison slid open, and two Gordanians came into the room._

 _The first Gordanian chuckled._

 _"Tamaraneans are a funny little people," he snorted, prodding Starfire with a long metal stick. "But the Citadel's nobles will gladly pay to have a princess as a servant."_

 _"That is," the second Gordanian said, "if they are able to control this girl's temper."_

 _"I will be no one's slave!" Starfire spat._

 _A knot of fear grew in the pit of her stomach, but she ignored it. If she couldn't fight or outwit her way out of this then she did not deserve to be a princess of Tamaran. Perhaps Blackfire was right: her older sister was always the better fighter._

 _The Gordanian placed the tip of his stick underneath Starfire's chin and tilted her head upwards.  
_

 _"That's all your people are good for," he sneered. "Slavery."_

 _Was that all she meant to them? A pretty prize to be carted off like a piece of cargo to the highest bidder?_

 _As the soldiers left Starfire sat still, saving her strength for another attack plan. She would just have to show them how tough Tamaraneans could be. She wouldn't go down without a fight. Once she broke out of this vessel she would head to the nearest habitable planet and take refuge there. There was no telling whether she could trust the natives or not. All she knew was that if they tried to do anything to stop or hurt her then she would hurt them back._

"So what are you saying, Galfore?"

"Never mind about the Citadel, princess. Let me worry about them. If anything, worry about you and your friends. Whoever tricked you into thinking that Tamaran was under an invasion could do other things to you and your friends. So much worse things." Galfore shot her a worried glance. "Do your best to locate the perpetrator of these attacks."

"Of course, Galfore," Starfire replied. "I shall speak to you later."

At the same time they both logged off. Anxiety crossed her face as she pondered the conversation that just took place.

"Starfire?" Robin asked, poking his head into the room. "Is everything all right on Tamaran?"

She thought of many things at the sight of him. All at once she wondered who was under the mask and how she, Starfire, did not foresee the dangers of the apprenticeship before it happened. To an extent everyone blamed themselves a little for not preventing the bad things that had happened to them. Whenever she thought about the apprenticeship she could not help but chide herself for saying, "then...we are victorious?"

"Yes, there is no invasion of any kind."

Her wide smile did not feel right. At once she did not regret her decision to relinquish the Crown. How could she possibly be right for Tamaran? How could she lead an entire planet when she could not help to save her friends?

 **-CK-**

10:07pm

Space

Justice League Headquarters

Most of the Justice League members were present, save for Bruce. He had to track down Clayface. Perhaps it was better if Bruce wasn't here anyway. The six other Justice League members—Flash, Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and himself—sat at their respective chairs. Several Justice League reserve members such as Green Arrow, the Elongated Man, Black Canary and others were clustered around the table as well.

It was getting a little crowded up here in the satellite.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice," Clark said, standing up from his chair. "I'm glad all of you could make it."

Of course, not all of the reserve members were here. Those who could not beam themselves up here listened in through the Justice League Signal Devices.

"We always come on short notice," Ollie, aka the Green Arrow, said. "So what's this all about, Clark?"

"It's about the Titans."

"This is about Dick, isn't it?" Barry asked, leaning back in his chair. "That's why Bruce isn't here."

"Bruce feels as though part of this is strictly between him and Dick," Clark replied. "But Dick has been relaying information to me about the attacks on the Titans. I believe—as does Bruce and Diana—that this is only the beginning of a wave of attacks. The article in the Daily Planet was obviously meant as a warning. All of us may be targeted."

Clark didn't feel comfortable saying this out loud.

"We've been compiling a list of possible attackers from all of the databases," Diana said, turning to the computer screen. "Ra's al Ghul, the Joker, Lex Luthor—"

"Luthor?" Barry interjected. "Nah, it's not Luthor."

Clark looked at Barry levelly, as though trying to shut him up with a steady sullen expression. As Lex Luthor's arch-nemesis Clark knew that it wouldn't be him. Ra's al Ghul perhaps. It seemed as though they were compiling this list to reassure themselves that they weren't going about this like amateurs.

So no one would bloody panic.

"What is the nature of these attacks?" Zatanna asked.

"Deeply personal." Clark's face fell slightly. "We all know about Robin's brief time as Deathstroke's apprentice. Having lived with Deathstroke for around a month—" several others murmured darkly at this—"we have reasonable suspicion to believe that Deathstroke knew Robin's true identity. He forced Robin to steal from Wayne Enterprises—a remarkable coincidence. If this is true then almost all of our identities are at stake."

"But Deathstroke is dead—" Green Arrow began.

"True, but someone may have taken the information from him after Markov killed him. And it's not as if—" Clark glanced at Zatanna, "we have the skills to track him down and make him forget."

Saying it out loud didn't make Clark feel any better about it. He may be the Man of Steel, but he couldn't do everything. There were things he could and could not do.

Clark couldn't resurrect his destroyed home world of Krypton. He couldn't completely eradicate crime from the face of this planet. Unlike that Tamaranean princess, Clark wasn't trained to be a leader. He grew up in Smallville on a farm. That was hardly the upbringing of a leader, let alone the most powerful man in the world. If—Heaven forbid—his friends died he didn't have the power to bring them back from the dead. The other Justice League members respected his authority. The difference between him and say—Diana—was that he didn't lead and fight out of duty. He fought crime because he had the power to make a difference in this world for the greater good. Perhaps it scared him a little that he couldn't save everyone he loved or that he couldn't always make the right decisions.

But he could try.

"Have you talked to Robin about this?" Ollie asked. "Does he also think that we're being targeted?"

"No, I haven't asked him whether he thinks we're also the targe—"

"So you believe that we can just barge into the Titans' affairs?" Ollie asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just because you believe that this _may_ pose a threat to the League, Clark?"

Clark suddenly felt uncomfortable. "I'm not saying that we should all go to Jump City and work out the situation ourselves—"

"But that's what you're implying," Barry interjected.

The eyes of the entire League were upon him. Most of the members could act on their own without his consent, but at the same time Clark was considered the ultimate authority. If he wanted the Justice League to go out and help the Titans, then a good amount of members would come to help him.

"Look, Robin called me for help. I agreed to help him. I just want everyone to be aware that someone may be attempting to attack all of us."

The other members began to talk amongst themselves. As the next probable generation of Justice League members (Clark wondered vaguely whether Dick would take up the mantle when Bruce retired. That is, _if_ Bruce retired) and a group of amateurs it was imperative that they wouldn't fall. He couldn't let those kids die.

"Roy has worked with the Titans," Green Arrow said. "They're not incompetent."

"I'm not saying that they're incompetent," Clark replied. "Far from it."

"Bruce probably regards them as amateurs," J'onn said in his low rumble.

"Well, Bruce doesn't think highly of anyone."

Now there _was_ truth in that. Clark turned to look out at space through the wide windows of their orbiting satellite. With no atmosphere the stars shone without twinkling. Out there, somewhere, the remains of his destroyed home world lay scattered in the vacuum of space. The Tamaranean's world was out there too. Robin had lost the two people he loved the most...he had his friends' (whom he regarded as a family) lives threatened. Clark knew that Dick looked up to him as an uncle and regarded the JLA as family as well. He couldn't allow Dick to lose the people he loved. Clark didn't want to lose Ma and pa.

He didn't want to lose anyone.

 **-BB-**

10:58pm

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

It was getting late.

Beast Boy wandered back to the common room in search of a snack before heading to bed. Most of the others had already gone to bed, but Beast Boy's stomach growled. All of them had been on their feet all day—chasing leads, interrogating people, and getting nowhere.

Robin sat on the couch facing the computer screen, his head bowed against his folded hands. Cautiously, Beast Boy approached him as if afraid of setting off a small bomb.

Last night the guy slept his troubles away—an unusual thing of its own—and now it seemed as though he had reverted back to his old vampire habits. Over the past few days he had gone through a series of low and high emotions—just like Beast Boy had since Terra's tomb was vandalized.

Tiptoeing across the room, Beast Boy peered at Robin to determine whether or not he was asleep. Even with a mask over his face Beast Boy could tell that his eyes were closed. His chest rose and fell in the steady rhythm of sleep. Beast Boy looked at the computer screen.

Adeline Kane's file was open. Beast Boy shook his head and moved to turn off the computer. Neither Robin nor Starfire had much time to discuss their meeting with Ms. Kane. In fact he wasn't even sure if they had met Ms. Kane at all.

"I'm still working," Robin said quietly.

Beast Boy's hand hovered over the keyboard, annoyed. Robin should go to bed if he was falling asleep on the computer. But Beast Boy wasn't one to lecture like Raven. On any other night he would have stayed up late playing video games with Cy, but with the malevolent mood hanging in the air…it just wasn't right.

"So how's Adeline Kane related to Slade?" Beast Boy asked. "Is she just another one of his victims?"

Beast Boy moved towards the small fridge to get a soda as he said this. He could ignore Robin or make the kid go to bed. He straightened and snapped open the can. Yeah, right, like he could make Robin do anything.

"I suppose I should tell you," Robin said. "Ms. Kane is Slade's former wife."  
Soda dribbled out of Beast Boy's nose as he choked on his root beer. He pounded his chest with a fist. Did Robin just say what Beast Boy hoped he didn't say?

"What?"

"Adeline Kane used to be married to Slade."

His jaw nearly dropped to his toes. Unlike the other Titans aside from Robin, Beast Boy felt as though he had a personal vendetta against Slade because of Terra. He couldn't imagine _anyone_ wanting to marry the man…unless this Adeline Kane was a hard woman.

"She's an ally, though, because she shot his eye out."

Now _there_ was a tough cookie. Speaking of Slade reminded Beast Boy of Terra. If Slade had treated Adeline the way he had treated Terra, then it was no wonder why Adeline shot Slade's eye out.

"I talked to someone who knew Terra," Beast Boy said, "she saw Slade in his civilian identity."

Robin was immediately interested, as Beast Boy knew he would be.

"She said that Slade had white hair...a glass eye…a goatee…he revealed his civilian identity to Terra."

"Huh." Robin snorted, more to himself than to Beast Boy. "I guess he didn't trust me _that_ much."

Robin moved to the computer and began typing furiously. The changeling wondered what other kinds of conversations went on between Robin and Slade during that month Robin disappeared. Surely the man didn't spend all of his free time beating the living crap out of Robin?

"What are you doing?"

"Wintergreen mentioned that Slade used to be a military man," Robin said, his fingers typing furiously. "If Slade is his real name, then he must be in the databases somewhere."

Robin went to the US Military database and began to search through the names. First he looked up Adeline's file and attempted to search for Slade through her profile.

"There!" Beast Boy said, pointing. "Look at that one!"

Although it definitely looked like a younger picture of the man (it was black and white), Beast Boy felt as though it was right picture. There was something about the chiseled young face of Slade Wilson that seemed vaguely familiar. Out of the corner of his eye he saw that Robin was also attracted to the picture. Even though the photograph was black-and-white Beast Boy could tell that Wilson had fair hair.

"Trained by Captain Adeline Kane," Robin said, now reading the profile, "and promoted to Lieutenant Colonel."

Robin studied the picture for a good long time. Beast Boy half-expected Robin to press "print" so that he would add it to his…err…Slade shrine in his office.

"Lieutenant Colonel Slade Wilson…" Robin murmured. " Wilson…good to meet you…"

So Slade _was_ his real name. For a moment Beast Boy wondered why Slade even bothered to use his real name, but then he remembered what Steve called him: Deathstroke. Back in the east coast Slade used the name "Deathstroke the Terminator" as his professional mercenary name, but he probably wanted to stay undercover once he moved out to the west coast to terrorize the Titans.

It certainly worked.

"Does that satisfy your obsession?" Beast Boy asked, leaning against the couch. "Is knowing his secret identity enough for you? Or do you also need to know the color of his toothbrush?"

He knew that he was goading his leader by mentioning Robin's obsession with Slade, but enough was enough. Beast Boy had hoped that the revelation of Slade's face would ease Robin's obsession…somewhat.

"It's just…" Robin trailed off, studying the picture through his masked eyes. "I never imagined that he would look like that."

Beast Boy turned his head to study the picture. Slade looked unremarkable—except for that cold glint in his eyes that looked almost predatory. However, he wouldn't have known that this man was a cold-blooded killer just by looking at this picture.

"I never thought that he looked so….so…normal."

"You're scared of him, aren't you?"

It was a bold question, but those words slipped from Beast Boy's mouth before he realized what he was saying. He half-expected Robin to deny this, to come back with a defensive insult or cold silence. What he did not expect was a confession.

"When he can…overpower you…it's frightening. Frightening because you don't know whether he's so insane that he would have killed you anyway…frightening because I could never know whether he really wanted to control me or if he planned to kill me after killing you…." Robin looked as if he was suppressing a shudder. "Everything he did was planned. Every punch, every insult, every stinking breath he breathed was done with a purpose. I've never seen anything like it. Not even in Gotham."

"You said Slade wouldn't kill you. Why?"

"Because he wanted a son."

Now _that_ caught Beast Boy off guard. He truly didn't know what to say to this. Beast Boy didn't know of too many villains with that kind of motive. The Brotherhood of Evil wanted power, just like every other villain out there…power, wealth, and the occasional…son?

"It was just a side interest of his," Robin said, looking to the side, "but he's twisted. Of course he wanted power and wealth. But he had a son and a wife that he lost."

Robin pressed two fingers to his forehead, as though still trying to comprehend the information he learned today. Beast Boy felt as though he could not adequately talk to Robin about this. Star was always the touchy-feely one…she should be talking to him. True, Beast Boy felt as though might be able to relate on some topics, but not this.

"So why did Slade want you as a son if he already had one?"

"I don't know," Robin replied, his tone almost snappish. "He knew who I was. He knew that I'm an orphan. He wanted to take me apart from my father. He made me steal from him."

Beast Boy may be the clown of the team, but Beast Boy wasn't stupid enough to make jokes about this. Several times before he tried to tell jokes to help Robin ease up, but it was like making jokes about the Holocaust. It just couldn't be done. How could he and the others help Robin when he wouldn't allow anyone into his life?

"How do you handle it?"

"Handle what?"

"The pressure. The memories. The nightmares."

For the first time in several days Robin's face softened. Maybe the weight of everything he had done, everything he had experienced finally crashed around him. Maybe this was the right way to connect to the guy.

"Before…before I became Robin, I used to be a performer."

The words from Slade's hidden video in the main computer floated back to Beast Boy's mind. He remembered Slade calling Robin a "circus brat." And when Batman called Robin came in from the city he had held up a ticket stub to his former mentor. So Robin used to be a circus performer? Huh. That would explain the cheesy puns. Robin continued to speak, not waiting for a reply from Beast Boy.

"I learned how to put on an act. This mask used to be an act, but I've been wearing it for so long that sometimes I can't let it go. It's become who I am…and Batman…"

The mention of Gotham's Dark Knight startled Beast Boy. Usually Robin avoided the subject of his former mentor at all costs. When he did mention Batman he spoke with a spiteful tone. But now Robin seemed almost…wistful. As though he regretted the harsh words exchanged between them. Robin trailed off into silence.

"So…" Beast Boy said, struggling to find words. "How did you meet Batman?"

It was a question he had always wanted to ask. Beast Boy always wondered how the two were related—father and son? Family friend? Uncle? Godfather? Beast Boy wilted slightly under Robin's stern gaze. He suddenly realized that now wasn't the best time to ask these questions. Silently, he chided himself for not keeping his big mouth shut.

"He found me. He's like a father to me…I suppose that he _is_ my father…I called him father while I was with Slade."

Robin stopped talking, as though surprised that he admitted this out loud. Knowing that Robin was probably embarrassed by the admission, Beast Boy changed the subject.

"What about your parents? How do they handle your superhe—"

"My parents are dead."

What…Robin had never mentioned this before. Suddenly Beast Boy felt as though he could connect with Robin. His own parents were dead. He could see why Robin would have never mentioned this before.

"I'm sorry," Beast Boy said, unsure of what else to say. "Did they know that you worked with Batman?"

"No." Robin looked outside the window. "They died before I met him. If they weren't dead then I wouldn't be here now…I wouldn't have met you or the others…I wouldn't have…" he paused, as though afraid to say this thought out loud. "I wouldn't have gotten myself into such a mess."

The alert beam began to blare again. The sudden noise startled Beast Boy, who immediately changed into a turtle in terror. He poked his head out of his shell and glanced timidly up at the monitor.

"Who is it this time?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm not sure." Robin turned his head a little to look at Beast Boy. "But let's find out."

 **-BW-**

11: 58pm

Gotham City

Crime Ally

Batman leapt from rooftop to rooftop, his great black cape streaming out behind him as he closed in on the jewel thief. The thief ran on the street below, hauling butt as fast as he could before Batman closed in for the kill.

 _I don't have time for this,_ Bruce thought, grimacing.

Just like always, he couldn't help but divert his attention if something like this came up. Even if he had to abandon his quarry (who, at the moment, was Clayface) he would help anyone in danger. This jewel thief, who just robbed a closed store downtown, would only take a few minutes to catch. Like most thieves in Gotham, he didn't seem to have a lot of brains.

Batman took out his grapple hook and shot it. It wrapped around the steel support of a billboard advertisement. Tugging it once to make sure that it would support his weight, Batman swung down from the rooftop and onto the street below.

What he should be doing was figuring out what the damned dust business was all about. Clark had told him everything about the Planet article and expressed his fears of a country-wide attack on all Metahumans.

The real question was: what was the perpetrator really after? Was the entire Justice League in danger? Considering the evidence at hand, it was likely that the perpetrator was using the Titans to taunt the older superheroes. Out of all of the people in this risky business Batman had been the first to take on a sidekick. Personally attacking the first young hero to arrive on the superhero scene was sure to goad everyone's nerves. Or this business could be entirely about the Titans?

Did he miss having a partner? Sometimes.

Working with the Justice League had somewhat filled the void Dick left behind when he moved to California. True, he could get massive migraines from working with some people in the League, but overall he did miss working with Robin.

He thought these things over as he landed in front of the jewel thief.

The thief stopped dead in his tracks as he stared up at Batman with wide eyes. Because of Crime Ally's broken street lamps, Batman couldn't really see the thief's face. His impatience caused his voice to go into a growl lower than usual. Batman really needed to get back to tracking down Clayface, and this punk thought it would be clever of him to rob a jewelry store.

"If you don't want any broken bones, then I suggest that you stop right here."

The jewel thief took one look at Batman before turning tail to run away. For a criminal he sure could run fast when he wanted to. At once Batman began to chase him.

They ran to a run-down baseball field. The thief tripped and fell in a cloud of dirt right in the middle of the field. Batman took the opportunity to loom over him as the thief scuttled backwards like a crab, his leather jacket covered in reddish dust.

"Give up now," Batman growled.

For a moment the thief did nothing as he stared up at Batman, looking like he might piss his pants. His hands scrunched into fists, his fingers digging into the soft reddish dirt of the baseball field. His thin chest rose and fell as he gulped the foul-smelling air. Perhaps the kid learned his lesson: once you meet the Batman your career in crime ended.

To Batman's surprise, the kid smirked.

"Bring it on, Batsy."

With a grunt the thief threw a handful of dirt into Batman's face. Momentarily disorientated, Batman coughed and spluttered dirt out of his mouth and nose. He really should have seen that coming, but the cowl blocked most of it from his face.

Once he could see again he saw that the thief started running again. He threw a bat-a-rang towards the thief. It glinted in the slight lamplight as it hurtled towards the running thief. It caught the edge of his hand and caused him to cry out in sudden pain.

"Damn it!" the thief exclaimed, clutching his bleeding hand.

Pure terror crossed over the thief's face as he stumbled backwards, his hands balled into fists as though he still meant to fight back. Now that he was closer Batman could see that this was a younger man just barely in his twenties. Figures. Only kids this stupid would rob a jewelry store this late at night.

Batman didn't even move as the thief swung a fist lamely at him. Perhaps it was because of his suit or because of his superior muscles that Bruce felt nothing. He watched in silence as the young thief gasped in pain and hunched over. A small splash of blood colored the chestpiece of his dark uniform from the young thief's bloody fist.

This had to end now.

Without much effort Batman picked up the thief by the scruff of the neck. The younger man's legs dangled beneath him as blood dripped steadily from his injured hand. The kid didn't seem to weigh much more than a toothpick.

"Uh…hey Bats," the thief said uneasily, a slight grin spreading across his face. "I suppose you want this back, huh?"

Slowly, so as not to startle Batman, the thief put a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pearl necklace.

 _"Gimme your cash!" the thug demanded, pointing the gun towards Mr. and Mrs. Wayne. "And the lady's pearls too!"_

 _Bruce looked up at his parents, his heart thumping madly as he wondered what would happen next. He always imagined his father as the strongman of the family, the protector. Surely he wouldn't allow this thug to get the best of him…_

 _Surely not._

 _Dr. Wayne slowly pulled out his wallet and threw it at the ground towards the thug's feet. His mother unclasped the pearls from around her neck. Bruce couldn't believe what his parents were doing. All at once Bruce felt terrified and angry that they were being mugged. What had they ever done to him?_

 _BANG!_

Shaking his head slightly to rid himself of the sudden flashback, Batman turned his attention back to the jewel thief. Batman dropped the thief back onto the ground and bent to pick up the necklace. It seemed as though every time he put the cowl over his head he was reminded of that fateful night, of the reason why he fought crime in the first place. Before the thief could scramble away Batman grasped the young man's arm and began to drag him off of the baseball field.

"Oh come on! You can't leave me like this!"

The thief began to struggle as Batman handcuffed him to the chainlink fence near a dugout. He had no pity for the jewel thief. In fact he had no pity for any criminal at all. Well, maybe Catwoman, but…

"The police will pick you up soon."

Batman ignored the thief's protests as looked up towards the cloudy Gotham sky. A pale yellow spotlight shone against the gray clouds, the dark outline of a bat beckoning to him. Commissioner Gordon had turned on the Bat-Signal again. Clayface must have been spotted.

Without a backwards glance towards the vanquished jewel thief, Batman headed towards the Gotham City Police Department.

* * *

 **A/N:** Fun fact: I wrote this entire chapter longhand up in the mountains. While up there I seriously thought about expanding "Entrapment" or writing another "one year later" apprentice story. One with an actual plot (I had absolutely no idea where Entrapment was going while I was writing it. This story, on the other hand, is plotted.) Ideas for other stories are on my profile page.

I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast Starfire and Superman, since they're both aliens and both (after a fashion) leaders. Also, a little reference to Identity Crisis and Batman Reborn! I finally read Batman Reborn while on vacation and I loved it!

BTW, Justice League memberships get a little confusing...so I just added everyone i knew...mostly from the TV show.

And it's the end of August! I hope everyone had a great summer (I know I did…writing unabashed fanfiction…) and I will attempt to keep my once a week schedule while in school.

Review…you lovely people…review…


	18. Flying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I'm going to travel back in time and secure the rights for Teen Titans. Someday.

**Disclaimer:** I'm going to travel back in time and secure the rights for Teen Titans. Someday.

 **A/N** : You Rob/Star fans will be happy with this chapter. But yeah…a lot of stuff happens in this chapter.

* * *

"'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling

and every time we kiss I swear I could fly.

Can't you feel my heart beat fast?

I want this to last,

Need you by my side."

-Cascada "Every Time We Touch"

* * *

Chapter 17: Flying

 **-Rae-**

11:48pm

Jump City, California

Shopping District

It took only a few minutes to rouse the others before the Titans headed out to the shopping district, where a robbery was taking place.

The Titans surrounded the store, each assuming their customary battle stance. Truth be told, Raven was a little irritated that they were out fighting this late at night. The past few nights haven't allowed any of them much sleep. The case with the dust and the occasional villains to deal with messed with her meditation schedule.

That left her with the vulnerability of her powers spiraling out-of-control. Ever since that incident with Dr. Light Raven became even more paranoid about keeping control of her powers. Everyone's confused and frustrated emotions whirled around her with the force of a category five hurricane, which only made it _more_ difficult for her to concentrate.

With a motion to go from Robin, the Titans moved into the electronics store. Raven phased through as the others moved as quietly as they could, planning to ambush whoever the thief was with a surprise attack. Raven heard someone moving quietly about the store as her eyes adjusted to the darkness.

"Red X?" Beast Boy asked, quite loudly.

Raven put a hand to her forehead. Of course, Beast Boy just _had_ to ruin their ambush. The thief turned, and even though he had a mask over his face Raven was sure that the guy was smirking. He straightened at the sight of them, clasping a stolen prototype to his belt.

"Hey kiddies," Red X said, "isn't it past your bedtime?"

"You're one to talk," Robin said. "Give up now, Red X."

"But I've only just arrived." Red X waved to Starfire. "Good to see you again, babe."

Raven's eyes narrowed. As always, she tried to guess who was under the mask. She didn't have the faintest clue who stole the suit. She sometimes tried to dig around in his mind a little—to catch a glimpse of a few memories that might reveal his identity—but Red X blocked his mind well.

"You shouldn't have given him back the belt," Raven said.

Robin shot her an annoyed glance. He knew that he made a mistake when he made the Red X suit—she had probably given him the most crap about it—but she knew him well enough not to bother him any more about it. Although she didn't know _who_ the kid under the mask was, she knew Robin well enough to understand that he deeply regretted his mistake.

"Where did you get the Xinothium?" Robin demanded.

"Oh come on, bird boy, you knew that was going to happen." Red X patted his belt. "And I just couldn't _wait_ to use it again."

"We don't have time for this, X," Robin said stiffly. "We have more important things to deal with than you."

"But you came. I'm flattered."

With a roar of frustration Robin threw himself at Red X. The two began to fight with fluid motions, their movements almost graceful as they danced across the room. Raven held back, not wanting to accidentally hurt Robin.

Now that she actually stepped back and watched, she could see the eerie similarities between Robin and Red X. Even though Red X sounded and acted older he must be almost the same age as Robin. Both were of the same height and physique and even sounded the same—well, with the mask disguising the thief's voice, of course they sounded the same.

"Come on, I helped you. Don't I get a little slack?"

"When you're actively stealing behind our backs? Of course not!" Robin snapped. "We don't have time for you."

Something clicked inside Raven's mind. Red X had been helping them the past few days. First there was the location of William Wintergreen and then with the apprehension of Mark Wolfman. For all that the Titans knew Red X could be playing along and be pretending to help them.

Perhaps he was waiting for the most opportune moment.

Raven floated towards the thief with her arms outstretched. Black energy pinned the thief's arms to his torso. She set her mouth in a faint snarl.

"Are _you_ the one behind these attacks," Raven asked.

"Me? Why would I be?"

Red X sounded genuinely surprised at the accusation. The empath felt a fresh wave of confusion emanate from the thief as he backed away to avoid the objects she threw at him.

She wasn't a detective, but Robin's persistent question floated to her mind:

Who benefits?

Did Red X benefit? If the thief could sneak into Titans Tower without tripping the security system then what else did he know?

Red X broke free of Raven's grasp and began to systematically attack the Titans. He yanked Raven's hood down and slapped a red "x" over her mouth to prevent her from uttering any spells. Red X managed to knock an elbow into Robin's face as he moved to take down the others. He moved to the other side of the room—near the exit—and turned towards them.

"Well, I had fun." Red X put a hand to his forehead and saluted them. "But I'll be going now. Catch ya later."

The thief dissipated into the air.

 **-BW-**

12:23am

Gotham City

Gotham City Police Department

"You called, Commissioner?" Batman asked.

Commissioner Gordon moved to turn off the Bat-Signal. Batman sometimes took it for granted how Gordon was one of the few Gotham cops who tolerated (and needed) his vigilante activities. People like Officer Bullock disliked him, but Batman seemed to have become a legend of his own.

"Evening, Batman," Gordon replied, turning his head to look at him. "My men spotted Clayface near the Gotham Globe office about a half-hour ago."

What would Clayface be doing there?

"What else have you found out about Black Mask's drug trade?"

Not since that Dagget incident had Clayface caused so much trouble. At first Batman didn't even suspect Clayface to be involved in this case.

For the past week Batman had been investigating a case involving a rather huge drug trade in Gotham City. It began with a series of murders—or rather, suspicious deaths resulting from drug overdoses in Crime Ally. Not much to think of, since many people in Gotham City died from drug overdose, but there was an odd pattern to the deaths. Each body contained liberal amount of what was called Black Heroin on the streets, a sludgy form of heroin that is applied in the inside of the mouth or at the corners of the eyes. The problem was that autopsies demonstrated that the bodies were shot with far more heroin than necessary to get high.

So he decided to investigate.

Black Mask was one of the many crime lords of Gotham City. After some investigation Batman realized that Black Mask wasn't really controlling the drug trade. Like most of his operations, he had several lackeys actually running the trade. Batman narrowed down the suspects to a man named Ed Quinn, who appeared to be Black Mask's lead man for this particular operation.

Not until he began following the druglord and saw the man changing his form did Batman realize that Clayface was involved. Then it hit him: from what he could tell, someone had hired Clayface to pose as the druglord. He had been following the wrong man for nearly two weeks! For two nights now he had been tracking down Clayface, which was difficult since Hagen was a talented actor. He could become anybody.

"Not much," Gordon replied. "Your man Ed Quinn seems to be out-of-town for the time being. Disappeared completely since you started trailing Clayface."

Hmm.

So Quinn ran out of Gotham with his tail between his legs once he found out that Batman was trailing him. Or, rather, trailing his body guard. There was also still the question of why Clayface accepted the job.

"Not good."

Batman's eyes narrowed. There was no telling what would happen now that Black Mask knew that Batman on was his trail.

"How's your kid doing these days?" Gordon asked, sticking his hands deep in his pockets. "He's in California, right?"

Batman froze.

By now he usually disappeared without a sound (to the commissioner's annoyance), but those words arrested him. Gordon looked up, his eyeglasses glinting in the light of the yellow street lamps.

"He's fine," Batman replied. "Just doing his job."

"It's not really his job," Gordon said. "He's a kid. He shouldn't be putting his life on the line."

 _Do you think,_ Batman thought silently, _that I haven't thought of that Jim?_

There wasn't a day that went by that Bruce didn't think about this. Did he really owe Dick a childhood? A chance to live like a normal kid without wondering when the next psychopath would attack?

Why then did Dick wear the mask?

People like Commissioner Gordon respected Batman because Batman stayed on the right side of the law. Not only was Dick not supposed to be out past curfew, but he shouldn't be out fighting crime. No sensible parent would allow his or her child to do that. But Bruce did. Did that make him a bad father for allowing Dick to fight alongside him?

"He wants to."

"And you let him."

Little did Commissioner Gordon know that his own daughter—Barbara—worked as Batgirl alongside Batman some nights. Batman almost called to ask for assistance in tracking down Clayface, but he didn't want to bring her into danger. As he briefly reflected upon this decision he knew that Dick's brush with the dust caused Bruce to reconsider the thought of sidekicks.

Batman didn't reply to Gordon's comment as he leapt off of the rooftop. Right now he didn't have time to philosophize about his decision to take on Robin as his sidekick. He was going to do what he did best: kick bad guy butt.

He found himself back in Crime Ally. The Gotham Globe was nowhere near Crime Ally, but Batman felt himself drawn to the place. This was where Leslie lived. This is where his parents died. If Gordon's men spotted Clayface at the Gotham Globe a half-hour ago then it was certain that Clayface wasn't there anymore.

"Hey Batman."

Batman froze at the sound of the voice.

Robin stood in the ally before him, a mischievous smirk plastered across his face. That smirk didn't belong on Dick's face at all. Slowly, Batman pulled a bat-a-rang from his utility belt. He knew that Dick wouldn't be in Gotham now, not with all that was happening in Jump City. Either Scarecrow had zapped him with his gas or Clayface was finally showing his ugly face. Batman guessed that it was the latter.

"CLAYFACE!" Batman roared, forcing himself to punch the Robin copy in the face.

Clayface's gelatinous form moved easily out of the way as he changed back to his horrid clay state. Batman made sure to keep a reasonable distance away, since Clayface could effectively turn his hand into a sharp machete or hatchet.  
"How about this then, Batsy?" Clayface asked, smirking as he transformed into the Joker.

Even though he knew that it was only an illusion, Batman still tensed at the sight of the Joker. He had fought so long against the man that he couldn't help but tense at the sight of him.

Why was Clayface goading him like this?

The Joker smirked as he turned to run away. Just like chasing the jewel thief, Batman hurtled after the disfigured former actor as Clayface hurried away. Despite himself, Batman began to feel tired as he raced along the rooftops. Without a partner he had been wearing himself thin. Perhaps he should call in Barbara—no. No, he shouldn't. He could do this.

Batman and Clayface neared the busy part of town. Without warning Clayface morphed into another person before flinging himself onto the street below.

" _Damn it!"_ Batman growled, stopping himself before he fell off of the rooftop.

By now Clayface had disappeared into the crowd. It was the opening night of some play or movie in the Gotham theatre, so a plethora of well-dressed men and women were milling outside of the theatre. He scanned the milling crowd for suspicious persons—a running child, perhaps, or a nervous street sweeper. It reminded him eerily of the night his parents died.

Why was he so inefficient?

True, the first time Clayface appeared on the scene it had taken Bruce a while to track him down. It didn't help that Clayface masqueraded as Bruce Wayne, which resulted in Bruce having no choice but to come quietly to avoid suspicion.

And the Joker.

Batman gritted his teeth at the thought of that madman. Even though the man was locked up in Arkham there was always that distinct possibility that he would escape again—or someone would be desperate enough to let him out.

Actually, the last time Batman faced the Joker was when Dick fell into the apprenticeship. Bruce took out his inner rage on the Joker, effectively putting him behind bars. By the time the Joker was dragged back into Arkham Dick managed to escape from Deathstroke, which caused Bruce to stay in Gotham since Dick didn't need his help.

The Joker…

Batman sat next to a stone gargoyle, his dark form blending into the night. What if the Joker was behind all of this? Pulling the strings to make it look like something else? Perhaps this business with Clayface was only meant to take his mind off of the Joker. A distraction.

He felt a sudden urge to go to Arkham Asylum to check up on the Joker himself. Alfred would tell him not to worry about the Joker. But as long as the Joker was alive Bruce would never stop worrying. There was _always_ the possibility that he could escape from Arkham. No one else besides Batman understood the madman. In a way, it was also _his_ fault that the Joker came into being. _His_ fault that people died or were driven insane by the Joker's laughing gas.

As he braced himself for another few hours of tracking Clayface the sound of the Joker's laughter echoed quietly in his mind.

 **-R-**

1:52am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

He stood on the roof of Titans Tower.

Aside from the city lights the only light shining down on Titans Tower was the light from a thin sliver of moon and the cloudy brightness of the Milky Way. Tomorrow night it would be a new moon.

Utter darkness.

 _"What do you want?"_ Robin shouted to the night, his hands forming into fists. _"WHO ARE YOU?"_

Of course, he didn't expect an answer. Why should he? The perpetrator wouldn't just give himself up. All of the detective skills Bruce had taught him dissipated as he shouted to the night like a child in a tantrum. This recent loss against Red X only increased his anger.

Everything was going wrong. His reputation was crumbling as his team fell apart at the seams. Just like the night of the dust, he felt as though no one else could do the job correctly save for himself. He lifted his head to the starry sky and laughed a little.

Suddenly he understood Bruce's initial reluctance to work with the Justice League. When you worked by yourself everything you did mattered. When you worked with a team it was difficult to place the blame on a single person. Robin thought that working with a team would be better than working alone.

Perhaps if he had been working alone none of this would have happened to his friends.

But even that idea didn't make sense. Working alone and acting like a jerkwad only pushed his friends away and left his mind to insanity. Robin _needed_ friends to act as a surrogate family for the one he lost to Tony Zucco.

Not since Slade had been alive had Robin been forced to stay up through the night. But the perpetrator seemed more elusive than Slade, if that was possible. This frustrated him. And for the past week he could think of almost nothing but Slade.

Sometimes he simply wanted to forget. Sometimes he wanted to ask Zatanna to wipe away all the bad memories and sometimes he wanted to move back to Gotham and give up being Robin. These were secret desires he never told anyone. But his desire to do good in this messed-up world overcame his desire for personal comfort.

Who was the perpetrator?

That question had been gnawing at him for the past week. Slade was dead, so he couldn't be the perpetrator. There was always the possibility that he didn't have the skills to figure this out. He was human, after all.

He just didn't want to admit it.

He hated whoever triggered the dust. He hated Slade for being a paranoid sadistic freak by placing the dust inside his mask. But above all he hated himself for failing to stop these attacks from happening to Starfire and Beast Boy. He felt powerless, at the hands of some greater god or some predestined fate that was set in stone. Robin clapped a hand to his forehead as another flashback came upon him.

 _"Forget about me!" Robin exclaimed, blocking Slade's heavy punch with his arm. "Shut down the drill!"_

"Stop…" he said through gritted teeth, shutting his eyes tightly as he shook his head. "Please…stop…"

Robin wanted the flashbacks to stop. He didn't want to continually live with the nightmares and the angst, especially since Slade was dead. However, as he was powerless to stop the attacks, so he was powerless to stop the memory from overwhelming him.

 _"Good, Robin. Now I have you all to myself."_

 _Slade slammed the up button before Robin could reply. Terra and Raven watched on helplessly as the elevator door slid shut and the elevator shot upwards. The sudden movement caused Robin to stumble as Slade lunged towards him._

 _For a brief moment he was afraid that he wasn't ready to fight. He felt a little claustrophobic fighting in such a closed area. The elevator zoomed towards the ceiling with increasing speed. It reminded him too much of his sealed room back in Slade's old haunt._

 _No where to run._

 _No where to hide._

 _They began to fight._

 _Robin wanted this fight to end as swiftly as possible. There was nothing to hold him back now. All the bottled up fury he held inside of him finally found a way to let it all out. He wasn't about the angst over that terrible time as Slade's apprentice. Instead he was going to make sure this madman stayed behind bars._

 _He was going to do something about it._

 _"I see you haven't improved much, Dick," Slade said, countering Robin's fist._

 _"I see you haven't stopped being a jackass," Robin snarled, "and don't call me that."_

 _"Watch your language. I'm sure Bruce taught you better."_

 _Robin's cheeks burned at the mention of Bruce. He didn't tell the others that Slade knew his secret identity. Over the past few weeks no one knew how much he had been agonizing inside. What kind of retribution would Slade come up with? Would he decide to target Bruce and Alfred? And if Slade discovered Batman's identity, who else did he know?_

 _"What the hell? I'm not your stupid apprentice anymore, so don't EVER lecture me!"_

 _Both of them now had their bo-staffs out. Robin tried not to think of those brutal training sessions with him. Every time he had lost and lost badly. He growled as they fought, determined not the make the same mistake twice. If he needed help he would call for Terra or Raven or—_

 _"Now just because you left me doesn't mean I still don't think of you as a teacher." Robin grunted as Slade managed to hit him in the gut. "For example, you always place too much weight on your left foot."_

 _Bruce always said—Robin shook Bruce away from his thoughts._

 _Robin gasped as Slade slammed his bo-staff hard against his own. The force of the blow caused him to drop his staff and back into the wall of the elevator. He heard Terra and Raven arguing faintly below. Something about the computer…dear Lord, he hoped that Raven knew how to hack into the main computer. Despite himself, he gasped in pain as Slade rushed forward and pinned him to the elevator wall with his bo-staff against Robin's neck. Robin's hands grasped at air before forming weak fists around Slade's bo-staff._

 _"I believe the question is: why are you here?" Slade pressed the bo-staff harder against Robin's neck. "You can't defeat me."_

 _"Yes I—"_

 _"No, you can't. At least," Slade pressed the bo-staff so hard that Robin began to see black spots, "not all alone."_

 _Fear flooded through him as he struggled to escape. It annoyed him that that statement was true. But Robin_ wanted _to defeat Slade by himself. Slade held the bo-staff against Robin's neck lazily._

 _"Brings back memories, doesn't it?"_

 _It did._

 _Robin's grip on the bo-staff loosened as he began to tremble, shaking his head slightly to deny the memories. He wanted so much to beat Slade—to show him that he could improve without his damn help. But he just couldn't beat the man without help of his own._

 _For a moment Robin was afraid. What if Slade was planning to ensnare him again? Again, the man had effectively gotten him alone. It was only natural that Slade wanted to take out the most direct threat to his evil plan first: Robin._

 _"I see you have a new addition to your team."_

 _This only fueled Robin's growing rage. Although Terra seemed to have a brush with Slade the last time they met, Robin wasn't about to let Slade screw with her mind like Slade screwed his._

 _"You leave her alone," Robin snarled. "You leave all of them alone."_

 _"Still the brave little hero, I see. But whatever—" Slade struck his face "—happened to the basics?"_

 _Stars popped in front of his eyes as Slade's heavy fist made contact with his face. The basics. Slade had tried to literally pound his so-called "basics" into him. It was survival of the fittest, a methodology that suited Red X's personality more than Robin's. Cut away the excess—in particular, the Titans and Batman—to allow more room to grow._

 _And win._

 _"Screw you, Slade."_

 _Robin threw a punch to Slade's face, wanting nothing more than to rip that stupid mask off of the mercenary's face. In the weeks following his escape he did all he could to discover Slade's true identity—but to no avail. Slade caught his fist and punched him again in the gut._

 _"Do you know how lenient I was with you?" Slade asked, his voice nearly as whisper. "I have the power to make your life a living hell."_

Don't talk to him, _Robin thought, his mouth twisting into a snarl._ He'll turn your words against you. Just like always.

 _It wasn't like his time as Slade's apprentice. He couldn't_ make _Robin answer through violence or coercion. And if Slade thought that his techniques were lenient…well then, the man was more twisted than Robin thought._

 _"What is this all about, Slade?"_

 _As they continued to fight something began to nag at Robin. Something was off about Slade. No, he wasn't fighting another robot made to look like Slade. The man could beat him—he_ had _beaten him. So why was Slade holding back? Robin stopped fighting as he realized what Slade was doing._

 _"You're stalling."_

 _He paid for his mistake. Slade rammed a fist into his stomach, causing Robin to back into the other side of the elevator. Robin swung back into reality as he regained his composure and engaged in combat again._

 _Robin's knees began to buckle as the elevator jerked. Slade stepped back as Robin fell to the floor. Rocks and debris crumbled to the cavern below._

 _"The Tower!" Robin gasped._

 _"Going down."_

 _Slade leapt off of the elevator. Angrily, Robin rushed to the door after him. His heart sank at the scene before him. A split second later Robin realized that he would have to do the same if he didn't want to die. Slade watched him fling himself out of the elevator. The Boy Wonder took out his grapple hook and shot it towards one of the steel support beams. With the skills born of his training as an acrobat he managed to land on one of the narrow support beams._

 _What was Slade trying to do? He could be self-centered like Bruce and think that everything about him. Back during the apprenticeship Slade admitted that it had been all about Robin…was this plan to destroy the Tower some sort of sadistic retribution for Robin running away? Or could it be about something else entirely?_

"Robin."

Starfire again.

He stiffened as he heard her approach, his shoulders hunching. Right now he didn't really want to see anybody.

"You must rest," she said, "you are doing harm to yourself."

"You heard me, didn't you?"

"Everyone did."

He felt embarrassed that the others heard him lose it. Well, it wasn't as if he had been keeping his cool ever since the incident with the dust. It was just that he had been acting like a small child: arguing with Batman, arguing with his teammates, basically throwing a temper tantrum on the rooftop. Bruce wouldn't be proud. His parents wouldn't be proud. He didn't feel proud of his actions.

Before he could protest she hugged him. At first he stood stiffly in her arms, unresponsive, until he finally hugged back. There was no one else on the Tower rooftop, and the darkness hid the faint pink that colored his cheeks.

There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them, a mutual understanding that both needed the comfort of friendship to deal with their nightmares. His arms tightened around her slim warm body, as though afraid that he would lose her just like he lost his parents.

After a while, they parted.

"I…I know you do not wish to reveal your real name," Starfire said, her voice low. "But I would wish you to know that on my planet my people call me Princess Koriand'r."

"I think I heard Galfore mention that…"

He trailed off. Somehow, he knew that this wasn't why she came up to talk him. He looked up at her, the faint moonlight casting a silver sheen to her golden skin.

"Robin, are you afraid?"

"Yes…" he said. He already admitted this to Beast Boy. Might as well admit it to everyone. "Yes…yes…I'm scared…" This fear wasn't like that time he watched "Wicked Scary" with the team…or rather Raven's fear. How ironic that he told her not to let in her fear while he wallowed in his own. "And what about you?"

"I always fear that something will happen to my friends," she said. "I always fear that something will happen to my people. That is the difference between me and Blackfire…she does not care what happens to Tamaran. I do."

"I care about people too. That's why I work so hard. I'm afraid to lose my friends. That's why…why sometimes I have to push you away."

Starfire placed her hands together and gazed at him sadly.

"Robin, you are never alone. Do not put your health in danger for our benefit…if I were to lose you then I do not know what I would do here on Earth."

Starfire took her hand in his and made him face the open ocean. With the city lights behind their backs the night sky sparkled before them; a wide open space just theirs for the taking.

"Look, a shooting star," she said, pointing to the night sky.

As he lifted his head he saw the tail-end of the shooting star. He remembered the night of the meteor shower a few weeks ago when he walked out on his friends. Sometimes he used to think that the vastness of space dwarfed him and made him small and vulnerable.

He felt himself being lifted into the air. Robin wrapped his gloved hand around her wrist as his feet left the rooftop. He turned his head towards Starfire, a confused expression crossing his face.

"Star…what are you doing?"

She did not answer. There was nothing to do now but trust her. They ascended into the night sky as she flew faster and faster. Titans Tower shrunk into a tiny black dot as they raced towards space. Robin felt no fear. Why should he?

He was born for flying.

He laughed as they spun through the air, the stars spinning so fast that they became streaks of light. Robin remembered having a conversation with Starfire about how to travel faster than the speed of light. He felt as though she was pulling him through the fabric of space and time, faster than the speed of light. The sharp scent of ocean salt filled his nostrils as Starfire flew towards the dark, glassy ocean. He reached out his hand to catch the spray of ocean waves like a gleeful child, smiling as drops of salty water wetted his face.

Robin felt more alive than he had felt in months.

Since he was human he could not naturally fly, not in the way a Tamaranean or a Kryptonian could. As an acrobat he could launch himself into the air and perform death-defying tricks to please the crowd. He couldn't be afraid of flying; he should love it. When he closed his eyes he felt as though his mother was training him again, holding his hand and praising him as he learned one trick after the other.

Slade had locked him inside of that godawful room like a trapped little bird. While Slade knew that he had been trained as an acrobat he didn't quite understand that Robin was born to fly. Slade was a trained military man. He knew nothing of show business or of trapeze artists. Like himself and (yes, he had to admit) Bruce, Slade was only human. Although he had been a well-trained mercenary he didn't have the knowledge or the ability to fly like Richard Grayson could.

If he had wanted to make Robin join him willingly, Slade would have never tried to coerce him the way he did. Now there was nothing but the limitless sky, the refreshingly cool air, and the comforting warmth of the Tamaranean's body next to his. How could he have ever thought that space made him feel small and vulnerable?

He felt…free.

Once Starfire mentioned how to fly…her abilities were based upon her emotions. He felt like a Tamaranean newborn on its maiden flight, joyfully soaring through the air. If she could fly like this then she must be feeling overjoyed. That fact alone only made him happy.

They touched down gently on the rooftop.

Robin brushed his wind-swept hair from his forehead, not even caring or noticing that it would need some more hair gel to keep it in its customary spikes. He took a deep breath. His head felt so clear. Locking himself in that stuffy office with nothing but newspapers for company would certainly not have done him any good. A wide grin spread across his face as he threw his head back and laughed, fighting back tears of joy and sadness. The laughter shook his belly, loosening the unpleasant knots of worry deep inside him.

Perhaps Starfire knew him better than he thought.

She beamed.

"What?" he asked.

"It is just that…that I am glad you are smiling again."

He squeezed her hand tightly as stood together on top of Titans Tower. Perhaps one day he would tell her of his childhood and how he was trained to fly. For a moment he even considered telling her his name right then and there, just so he could hear her say his name.

He was glad that she came up to talk to him. It made him realize that he didn't have to do anything by himself.

But how to get rid of the nightmares?

He would just have to accept the fact that Slade had beaten him. Accept the fact that none of this was really his fault. Slade came to Jump City knowing his and Batman's identities. Robin did nothing wrong to betray his mentor. Adeline was right: he had to keep his chin up and keep going. He had survived his time with Slade.

He could get through this.

A terrified shout cut through the night air, causing Robin's heart to jump into his throat as his beaming smile vanished in an instant. A gasp escaped from Starfire's lips as she whipped her head around to face the source of the noise. The eyeholes of his mask widened in pure terror as he recognized the voice.

"No," he whispered.

 **-C-**

So tired.

Because of the interrogation the night before and early this morning at the Jump City Maximum Security Prison Cyborg didn't get much sleep. It wasn't as if he needed natural rest—he could do just fine just charging up—but natural sleep was the best kind of sleep.

The sudden increase in HIVE activity increased his anxiety. What on earth could Brother Blood be planning? That "class project" that Cyborg found on the HIVE mainframe computer must be some sort of red herring.

Cyborg's hand reached for the power cord. Sure, they should be pooling all of their energy into finding the perpetrator of the dust, but there was the HIVE to think about as well. Since Robin was too busy angsting Cyborg felt as though he should be figuring out what the HIVE was up to. Brother Blood could very well be the perpetrator.

To Cyborg it made perfect sense that Brother Blood would think this little scheme up. The only unanswered question was how Brother Blood would have gotten a hold of such sensitive information about the Titans' histories. He probably should get to bed, but Cyborg wanted to go through Brother Blood's files before hitting the sack.

He snapped the power cord into place. Almost at once he knew that something was wrong. He threw his head back and screamed as something crept through his circuits. A Trojan, perhaps? No—there was no way in hell that a Trojan got through _his_ security.

One of his memory files went ballistic.

 _Victor Stone awoke from deep unconsciousness. Something felt horribly different, although he couldn't quite figure out what in his dazed state. His father sat next to the bed, his eyes gazing down sadly upon his son. Victor lifted his head and saw his hand encased with metal. All at once the memories of the accident flooded through his mind as his good eye widened in horror._

 _"NOOOOOOOOO-!"_

"CYBORG!"

Everyone crowded around him as he twitched and groaned, still conscious as every electronic thing in his system went haywire. This time, it was serious. This wasn't just a personal attack on an emotional level.

Random memories played as all of his memory files went psychotic. Memories of his childhood, memories of his parents, memories of his time at the HIVE Academy, all of them seemed to jumble together before his eyes. His infrared eye flashed three times before his vision failed in that eye.

"Cyborg! What happened?" Robin demanded.

Even in his barely conscious state Cyborg came up with a vague idea of what had happened. He should have seen this coming, especially after it was discovered that their mysterious houseguest messed around with Star's technology. It was stupid of him not to check his own hardware, but what did he expect?

Cyborg expected an attack on the handicapped school…an attack on his dad…something that would cause him to go on a rampage like Beast Boy.

He didn't expect this.

"It's…a…virus…" Cyborg muttered, struggling to keep himself conscious. "Hacked…"

He collapsed and finally succumbed to the sweet darkness of unconsciousness.

End of Part 3 

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, for the time remember that Gotham is supposed to be on the east coast, so there's a three hour time difference. Time will be very important from here on out.

And I'm sorry, that silent elevator fight from "Titan Rising" has been BOTHERING me. I needed to write a conversation between them.

As I was writing this chapter I felt it necessary to include a deeper look at the Rob/Star relationship, especially since this part is focusing on Starfire.

As for updating: again, I will attempt to keep once a week schedule. I actually care about schoolwork so I will be busy as I get back in the groove and get a routine going. And to address some comments: I will NOT leave this fic unfinished, so don't you worry about that. I hate reading unfinished fics myself, which is why I attempt to keep myself on a schedule.

Just remember: every chapter that I post is another step towards figuring out who triggered the dust…

REVIEW


	19. Fathers, Pt 4 Set in Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Well, this sucks. Apparently I don't own Teen Titans or DC Comics.

**Disclaimer:** Well, this sucks. Apparently I don't own Teen Titans or DC Comics.

 **A/N:** Hey peeps! So I realize that I'm dragging out this mystery…Mellow, please don't implode…but I could have been lame and done this in 10,000 words with a stupid plot. That's not fun. So please bear with me. I guarantee you that the ending is worth it.

And I like to see you all suffer and come up with theories.

;)

* * *

"And what do you think you'd ever say?

I won't listen anyway…

You don't know me

And I'll never be what you want me to be."

-Johnny Rzezkik. "I'm Still Here (Jim's Theme)"

* * *

Part 4: Set in Stone, The Cyborg's Tale 

Chapter 18: Fathers

 **-Rae-**

3:08am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

She stood next to the couch, where they had set Cyborg's unconscious body. She and Robin stood hunched over him. Robin was fiddling with Cyborg's computer, which Beast Boy's gorilla form had dragged out to the common room. Sweat poured down his face as his fingers raced across the keyboard, trying desperately to counter the virus raging through Cyborg.

Beast Boy's hand hovered towards the power cord, which was still connected to Cyborg's chest.

 _"Don't touch the power cord!"_ Robin snapped. "We don't know what's hit him. Removing the cord may fatally damage his internal system."

Beast Boy flinched as drew his hand back quickly, as though he touched a hot stove. Starfire and Beast Boy stood awkwardly to the side, watching the two with fearful eyes.

Unadulterated fear filled the room and swirled around her, the sharp tendrils of emotions picking at Raven's consciousness like needles. She could feel Robin's uneasiness as he struggled to fight against the virus. He was tired, and whoever this hacker was got into Cyborg pretty well.

This was the fourth attack. The previous two attacks were meant merely to annoy, but this—this was just _begging_ for a war. Raven felt the raging demonic forces deep inside her simmer with anger, threatening to overtake her. Whoever had done this—all of this—to her friends was going to pay. Perhaps she would even deign to let out Trigon for a little while just to mess with them. Then the perpetrator would understand what _real_ fear felt like.

But for now, she needed to help her friend.

"Cyborg…" Raven murmured.

Raven placed a cool hand on his sweaty forehead. She could sense his consciousness swimming beneath her cool fingertips, barely alive and humming gently with the mechanical part of his brain. His body twitched as the virus messed with his system.

So, it had come down to this.

She could feel the eyes of her teammates upon her. Raven didn't have to ask to know what they were worried about: all of them had been attacked. Now it was her turn.

Raven was prepared for whatever the perpetrator had in store for her. He couldn't possibly understand her predicament as Trigon's daughter. No one else knew about her mysterious past aside from the little she told Starfire. She heralded the end of the world…how could it possibly get worse than that?

"What's wrong with him?" Beast Boy asked.

"When he connected the power cord to himself the virus managed to get into his system," Robin replied. "It's trying to shut him down. Permanently."

"X'hal," Starfire breathed.

Everyone fell silent. The only sounds Raven could hear were Cyborg's gasps and Robin's frantic typing. She could feel Robin's uneasiness grow and ensnare him. His thoughts seemed to jump out at her. He was worried that his skills wouldn't be enough to save Cyborg. She heard the faint sound of a woman's voice. His mother. Raven shook her head until the sound went away. Those were his memories.

"I'm going to try to revive him," Raven said.

Robin's fingers slowed as he looked up at her. He nodded and put a hand to his forehead. Raven wasn't sure if this was going to work, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

Her eyes glowed as she murmured the spells the monks of Azarath taught her. Her hands hovered over his unconscious figure. She was afraid that she wouldn't be able to revive him, that the virus wreaking his system had permanently damaged him. She was afraid that her spell would not be compatible with Cyborg's mechanical parts.

"Come on, Cy," Beast Boy said, his eyes wide in terror.

She found herself thinking the same thoughts. All this time—ever since Robin was infected with the dust—she had never afraid for herself. What she told Cyborg yesterday was true: she did not care what happened to her. Maybe it would be good if something _did_ happen to her. Then perhaps the world wouldn't come to an end.

With a loud gasp Cyborg woke up. His mechanical parts began to glow a healthy blue. His infrared eye glowed scarlet as his system went back online. Raven let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. She put a hand to her aching forehead. As always, she felt a little weaker after healing someone.

"Cyborg, are you all right?" Robin demanded.

"I'm…I'm fine…" Cyborg replied, sitting up and rubbing the back of his head. "That bug wasn't meant to kill me."

"How do you know?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm still alive, aren't I?" Cyborg rolled off of the couch and stepped gingerly onto the floor. "There's just a few diagnostic tests I have to run…just to make sure that I'm okay."

Robin pressed a hand to Cyborg's chest and pushed him back onto the couch.

"How can you be sure that you're okay? I'll help you—"

Cyborg looked annoyed at Robin's persistent nagging. But Raven felt as though Robin had a valid point. Even if the virus wasn't meant to kill it still gave everyone a scare.

"I'm fine. No else has died yet, right?"

"No, but…" Robin trailed off.

No one liked to think of that option. As Robin and Cyborg continued to argue Raven's mind wandered to other things.

That premonition of evil tugged at the corners of her mind.

 **-S-**

3:47am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

She draped a blanket over Robin's sleeping figure. The poor boy was so tired from running around…trying to help her and Cyborg…that he just collapsed onto the couch. She knew that Robin was a light sleeper (he always told off Beast Boy for making a racket late at night) and didn't want to risk waking him up. He got too little sleep as it was.

He looked so innocent when he slept. She suppressed an urge to place a hand on his shoulder and squeeze gently, as though to comfort him.

By now the others had gone to bed. Cyborg placed an external battery pack on himself before heading off to bed. The Boy Wonder, too tired to make it to his bedroom, simply fell asleep on the couch as he was reading his files.

She didn't like this one bit. Honestly, they should have guessed that something like this would happen ever since the intruder sneaked into the Tower. Now Titans Tower no longer felt safe. She felt as if she was in a nuclear power plant just about ready to explode in a meltdown. Villains breached these walls too often. The HIVE kids. The Sladebots. That intruder. Starfire didn't know whether she could sleep well tonight.

The only other person still up was Raven, but even she was preparing to go to bed as well. Starfire held out a hand and called out her friend's name.

"Raven?"

Now that each of them in turn had been attacked, Starfire became worried for her friend. This new attack now put her on the edge. If anything, this situation was similar to Robin's brush with the dust. Beast Boy and Starfire could definitely survive the attacks, but Robin and Cyborg…

Well, in both instances there happened to be a chance of death.

What would happen to Raven?

These attacks were no longer personal…they were _fatal._ Starfire didn't quite believe Cyborg's assertions that the virus was harmless. Nothing about this was harmless. Perhaps the perpetrator had grown tired of toying around with them.

"What?" Raven asked, sounding weary.

Starfire chose her words carefully. Reviving Cyborg must have taken a great deal out of her, especially everyone had been up late tonight. It might have made her more snappish than usual.

"Are you not worried about what the perpetrator will do to you?"

"No. No I'm not." Raven's lips turned into a frown. "Whoever has been doing this to us wants us to act like this. I'm not going to panic. I already told Cyborg that I am not afraid."

"But—"

"But _what_ Starfire?" Raven asked, her voice snappish.

Even after living with Raven for over a year Starfire's joyous optimism still could not penetrate Raven's pessimism. What was her problem? All Starfire wanted to ask was why she was not afraid, but she felt as though she knew the reason already. Back when they switched bodies they were forced to explain their histories to each other. These attacks were meant to attack the Titans' personal histories. Raven mentioned that she was born in a place called Azarath, where the monks taught her everything she knew about magic.

Would the perpetrator, perhaps, decide to target the monks? Would that get Raven's blood boiling?

Or would something else happen entirely?

"Even if you are not worried," Starfire said, "I am."

The anger in Raven's face subsided. Starfire wondered why Raven was such an introvert, even more so than Robin. At least Starfire knew that he used to work with Batman in Gotham City and knew of their rocky relationship. None of the Titans knew anything about Raven's past. Who her family was or…anything.

"It would be fantastic if the perpetrator targeted my father," Raven said. "It would do the world some good."

Her father? Starfire only heard Raven mention her father once or twice, but never in a good tone. An expression of surprise crossed Raven's face, as though she was surprised that she spoke about her father in front of Starfire.

"We should all be in bed," Raven said, turning away. "Good night, Starfire."

The empath drew her hood over her head and headed out of the common room, leaving Starfire alone with a sleeping Robin. Her eyelids threatened to fall over her eyes. As much as she disliked leaving him alone in the room, she moved towards the hallway and turned off the overhead light.

No one could tell what the sunrise would bring.

 **-R-**

6:32am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

When he woke early the next morning he found that someone had draped a blanket over him. He rolled over and saw Cyborg's computer still resting beside the bed. Robin sat up and stretched. For once he had a dreamless sleep. No nightmares.

He still felt tired and had an urge to lie back down and sleep for a couple more hours, but after this latest attack on Cyborg he couldn't afford to waste any more time. That had been much too close for comfort. If these attacks were going to escalate in intensity then there was the possibility that Raven could be killed.

Robin couldn't let that happen.

"Good morning."

He turned his head. Raven stood at the kitchen counter making herself a cup of herbal tea. He glanced at the clock on the microwave and saw that it was about six thirty in the morning. Oh wonderful. Only four hours of sleep.

"How's Cyborg?" he asked.

"He's fine," Raven replied, wrapping her hand around the cup of tea. "He's just sleeping."

"Raven, about the attacks—"

"Please, Robin, don't ask me about that," she said, her eyes narrowing. "I'm not afraid. There is nothing that can be done."

He didn't like her tone. Even if he couldn't stop these attacks there was one person who could help. Robin was at the end of his rope. He couldn't stand this anymore. These attacks just kept getting worse and worse. He couldn't stand seeing his friends suffer. His friends' safety was much more important than his pride. This latest attack finally pushed Robin to desperation.

"I need to call Batman," he mumbled.

"Why?" Raven asked.

"I just…I just need to talk to him. I need to talk to…" he looked at her oddly. "I have to go."

He nearly stumbled back to his room in a daze, still sleepy from their late-night escapades. As he clicked on the light he glanced at the clock. Robin wasn't sure if he wanted to call Bruce, but at this time of day he could at least talk to Alfred.

Robin slumped into his chair and powered up his laptop. As soon as he logged in he called Wayne Manor. Could he really be doing this? After two years of little—yet nasty—interaction, Robin was finally calling home for help. This wasn't like the last time he called Wayne Manor. Last time he didn't want advice or coddling. Last time he wanted information so that he could figure this out on his own. But now…now he actually wanted Bruce to come help.

The webcam flickered to life. The gloomy interior of the Batcave came on screen, but Robin was surprised to see a familiar costumed figure sitting in front of the computer screen.

"Bruce!" Robin said, failing to hide the surprise in his voice. "You're up."

Alfred rolled his eyes, as though disapproving of this. Bruce looked ragged; more ragged than usual, anyway. He wasn't even in his pajamas. Bruce was still dressed in his costume, the cowl hanging loosely down his back.

"I've been investigating Clayface's involvement in Black Mask's drug ring," Bruce replied, his eyes still glued to the computer screen. "I suspect the Joker's involvement."

"The Joker? But isn't he in Arkham?"

It was Robin's turn to feel confused. If there had been a breakout at Arkham he would know, even if he wouldn't get involved in the clean-up. But how on earth would the Joker get involved in one of Black Mask's drug rings?

"Don't ask, Master Dick," Alfred said, lowering his voice. "He's been obsessing ever since he came back from patrol last night."

Bruce was always obsessive, but Robin could see why Alfred felt worried. He couldn't make a logical connection from Clayface to the Joker. As far as Robin knew, the two of them had never worked together before. Unless someone had hired both of them for the same operation, which was always a possibility, but—Robin shook his head. He didn't work with Bruce anymore.

"Bruce," Robin said firmly. "Bruce!"

His mentor turned his head from the computer screen. Purple bags hung beneath his red-rimmed eyes. He looked more a homeless bum than the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. Robin couldn't help but feel a keen connection to Bruce. Like Batman, he had been out all night trying to solve the mystery.

"What, Dick?"

Bruce's tone was surprisingly hard and snappish. Robin wanted to snap back a reply, but swallowed the insult.

"I…I need your help," he forced himself to say. "Last night Cyborg was attacked. Someone—or something—hacked into his system."

His mentor studied Robin's face carefully, as though hardly believing that he was actually asking him for help. Glancing to the side, Robin rubbed the back of his neck as he spoke to his bedroom wall.

"What I guess I'm trying to tell you is…I need help."

It killed him to admit that Bruce was right. Robin had done all that was humanely possible to prevent these attacks and he had failed. He liked to consider the Titans professionals. Bruce must have sensed his desperate tone.

"I will help you," he said. "You know the protocol. Send me all of the information. Depending on whether or not I finish this business with Clayface I might just fly out to Jump City today."

"I…thanks."

" _Running to daddy now?"_ Slade's snide voice spoke. _"Thought you were better than that, Dick."_

Slade.

Robin looked Bruce squarely in the face. As he thought over the last few days he knew that he needed to talk to Bruce. Tell him what really happened during that time he was Slade's apprentice. It was sad, really, how it took such extreme circumstances for them to talk.

"There's something else I want to talk to you about."

Robin's finger twitched, as though he meant to turn off the webcam before he could say anything. Did he really want to talk about this with him? For the past week he had been denying to everyone—the Titans, Clark, Barry, and Alfred—that he wanted to talk. As his legal guardian, Bruce had the right to know what happened. For almost a year Robin kept the information and memories to himself. Whoever triggered the dust made him realize one thing: he appreciated Bruce more than he realized.

Bruce had done so much for him. He took Dick in as a child out of the honest goodness of his heart. He didn't adopt Dick Grayson so that he would train him as his protégée. If anything, he tried to shield Dick from the criminal underground—training him only after Dick found out that he was Batman. Bruce even went after the man responsible for his parents' deaths mere hours after the accident. It had been he—not Bruce—who stormed out on the relationship. Never once did he tell Bruce how much he appreciated him.

What Barry said was true: Bruce had become his father in the absence of John Grayson. Even if Bruce showed his love in odd ways he still cared.

The least Robin could do was tell him how he felt.

"It's about Slade."

Bruce stiffened visibly. Alfred paused in the process of picking up the empty breakfast tray. Robin felt a little hesitation. Was he ready to tell Bruce about this? Was he ready to tell him what he went through? Ready to show him the "surprise" video Slade left in the Tower as proof of Slade's violent tendencies? Was Bruce ready?

He was about to find out.

Robin sat down in his chair and gathered his courage. He had been putting this off for over a year. It was no secret among anyone in the superhero community that he had been Slade's apprentice. No one knew what happened in that ambiguous month besides Robin, who didn't dare tell anyone—not even Bruce.

"I just…I just want to talk about what happened. I heard through the grapevine that you wanted to talk about it too." Robin glanced down at the floor. He had to tell Bruce the thing that made him the most anxious. "Slade—or Deathstroke—knew my identity."

Bruce folded his hands together and shut his eyes tightly. "I suspected…you stayed with him for so long that I…"

Bruce trailed off. Of course, Bruce would have at least suspected that Slade knew his identity. Why did Robin think that only he knew this? It was so obvious. Slade made him steal from Wayne Enterprises. Just because Bruce never mentioned it didn't mean that he hadn't seen the security footage, which Robin knew he _must_ have seen.

"He knew your identity, Bruce."

A heavy sigh escaped from the dark knight. Robin always wondered how Bruce would react to this. Deep down, the man must have known. That sigh was a sigh of resignation, not of surprise or worry. Encouraged by this, Robin continued to speak.

"He made me steal from Wayne Enterprises. From you." Robin ground a palm into his forehead. "It was terrible."

As Robin spoke he noticed something strange: Bruce's hands kept twitching, as though itching to go back to the keyboard. He seemed fidgety, as if he had too much coffee to drink this morning. He seemed impatient. As Robin moved onto the topic of Slade's beatings Bruce cut him off in a harsh voice.

"Did you tell him our identities?"

 _What?_ Robin could not believe that those words just came out of Bruce's mouth. What was…this wasn't like Bruce. Baffled, Robin went on the defensive.

"I—I didn't tell him!" Robin exclaimed. "He didn't force me to tell him. He didn't torture our identities out of me— _he just knew!"_

Bruce got out of his chair. Both of them stood glaring at each other as Robin stood there with his fists at his sides, trying to fight back tears. Bruce just didn't understand. Maybe that was why he why so reluctant to tell Bruce in the first place. How could Bruce possibly understand what he had gone through? Did he honestly think him _weak?_

"Master Bruce," Alfred interjected, "you know better than to accuse Dick of—"

"I need to call Dr. Arkham about the Joker," Bruce said, turning back around to his computer. "It's of vital importance. I need to know that he's locked up."

This was ridiculous. Robin fumed. If he could reach out and strangle Bruce right now he would. Robin couldn't believe that it was possible for Bruce to become more obsessive…more cold and distant…more brutish than usual. Even Alfred turned, his face twisted in surprise.

"But…Master Bruce, what has gotten into you?" Alfred asked. "Do not bother to check up on the Joker. He is safely locked away in Arkham—"

 _"That's what Jeremiah Arkham said last time!"_ Bruce growled. "And the Joker still got away."

They always got away. They always did.

Robin wanted to be in Gotham at this second. He missed Alfred and Barbara and all of his friends back home. The schoolyard friends he never talked to anymore. Mr. Haley and the circus clowns. He would even love to see Commissioner Gordon.

He felt angry. Here he was trying to connect with Bruce, trying to help him and help himself like everyone had been urging him to do by talking to the man. Barry and the others all talked about how much Bruce wanted to talk about this with him as a father to his son. He just poured out all of his deepest, darkest fears that haunted his dreams to his guardian and mentor. But the man hadn't changed.

Not one bit.

"Is that all you care about?" Robin asked, his voice sliding into a vicious tone. "Fighting crime, Bruce? Bringing the Joker to justice?"

"I work harder than anyone to keep Gotham safe!" Bruce growled. "Everything I've done is to keep you safe!"

 _"Maybe Slade was right!"_ Robin snarled, his cheeks coloring as the heat began to rise in his face. "Maybe you don't care about me, Bruce."

Bruce looked as though he had just been slapped in the face. Almost at once Robin regretted saying this. Had Slade really gotten that seed of doubt to grow inside him? After every defiant thing Robin spat at him, after every beating, even after calling out for Bruce in the depths of Slade's lair this is what he came back to?

"How can you say that? After everything I've done for you—"

"You think you work harder than any of us, but you know what Slade told me? He said that you never cared enough for me…didn't teach me right because you were holding me back. Honest to God, I told him that he was wrong—but the way you're acting now makes me think that he was right."

So brutal.

An expression of shock crossed Alfred's face, as though he couldn't believe that those words just came from Robin's mouth. Almost at once Robin regretted the outburst. Deep down inside him he knew that Slade was wrong, but he felt so infuriated at Bruce that he couldn't express his anger any other way. Why did he have to talk about _his_ problems and what _he_ was doing wrong?

"Master Dick…" Alfred said weakly.

Bruce said nothing. After considering his ward for a few moments he turned and gathered up his files on the Joker. He slowly walked away and headed back up the stairs towards Wayne Manor with the files tucked underneath his arm. What the...how could he be walking away _now?_

 _"BRUCE!"_

He screamed the name so loud that he almost didn't hear his bedroom door open. Robin spun around to find all four of his teammates crowding in the doorway. He moved his body to block the laptop screen, his hand reaching back to slam the laptop shut.

Alfred's questioning voice was cut-off abruptly, leaving them all in an awkward silence. Robin could hear the blood pounding through his ears as his heart hammered against his rib-cage. How much had they heard? Did he dare ask?

Robin's eyes dodged from face-to-face, as though silently questioning how much they knew. Despite everything that had happened during the past few days he couldn't bring himself to tell the team his secrets. His hands gripped the edge of his desk. If his meeting with Bruce had gone well—like he planned—then he would have told the team what was bothering him. Tears stung the corners of his eyes as their recent conversation played over and over again in his mind like some sick broken record.

He was hurt.

"I'm sorry," he said, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "I have to go."

 **-C-**

8:47am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

He looked out of his window and saw the bustling citizens of Jump City. What he wouldn't give to have a civilian identity to slip into like Robin. He flexed his fingers and felt the mechanical parts slink underneath his skin.

"Dude," Beast Boy said, "what was _that_ all about?"

Beast Boy didn't even have to mention what "that" was about. All Cyborg knew was that Robin went back to his room to speak to Batman privately—although for what reason nobody knew. The next thing he knew Robin was bellowing angrily at the top of his lungs.

"I don't know, man, but you better leave his business with Batman alone."

"I don't get it. I jus—"

"Leave it alone, BB."

No one knew where Robin had gone after he left the room. It didn't take a genius to see that he was on the verge of bursting into tears. The kid was too proud to cry in front of them. It seemed as though these attempts to make himself appear strong were in fact only reassuring his team that he could be emotionally weak.

Yet, he couldn't help but wonder what made Robin so distraught.

"Maybe I'll go look for Robin," Beast Boy said, his head drooping a little. "I'll get Star to help."

With a backward glance towards Cyborg, Beast Boy left the room. Cyborg slumped onto a chair and massaged his forehead.

Although Cyborg didn't tell anyone on the team, he felt somewhat content when he went undercover at the HIVE Academy. Because of the accident that changed his life he didn't finish high school.

Of course, that didn't mean that he wasn't smart or anything. Sometimes he thought it ironic that he knew so much about technology even though he didn't have a high school or college degree. His parents, who worked for S.T.A.R Labs, basically taught him all he knew.

His dad.

He went to his computer and turned on the webcam. A middle-aged man sat working on an unfinished robot resting on the counter. He looked up at the sound of the webcam bleeping. His eyes widened behind his glasses, but Cyborg spoke first.

"Hi dad."

Cyborg couldn't believe that he was calling his dad now. Ever since the accident he had not spoken to his father. Mr. Stone looked just as equally surprised to see his son calling him. He adjusted his glasses and peered closely at the camera.

"Victor…" he said carefully. "How are you?"

Mr. Stone never approved of Victor's decision to join the Titans…Vic never asked for parental permission…but what else could Vic do? His chances of becoming a professional athlete were thrown out the window once he became a cyborg. People thought he was a freak, but not when he met the other Titans. He never considered a career in superherodom before then.

Cyborg was pretty sure that his real name was in the databases somewhere, but no one called him by his real name. He didn't want to be called by his real name. Victor Stone ended with that terrible accident.

"Have you been paying attention to the news in Jump City?"

"Of course I have. Why wouldn't I when my son puts his life on the line every day?"

Cyborg started in surprised. After all this time his dad still cared about him? True, it had been his father's genius that allowed Cyborg to survive the accident, but still at a terrible price. Cyborg could still remember how much he hated his new appearance and how much he hated himself for being alive. Mom died while he lived.

"I guess I should have told you before, but someone is attacking us. Four of us have been attacked. Last night I was the latest one to be attacked."

There were plenty of other things Cyborg could tell his father. He could tell him about his experience in the HIVE Academy and how Brother Blood attempted to control his mind. He could tell him about all the decisions he regretted or of his nostalgia for the past. For the athlete Victor Stone.

"What happened?"

"It started with the dust. A chemical reagent caused Robin to go psycho on us. From there on each of us have been attacked in succession. As for me, I was hit with a virus. About a week ago someone broke into the Tower. From what we know he's done three things: stole the mask with the dust, messed with Starfire's technology, and implanted the virus in my system."

"Should we send someone over to check you out, Vic?"

"No, no you don't have to do that. Someone was just trying to freak me out. That's all."

Mr. Stone studied his son closely. At least Cyborg didn't have much of a catty relationship with his father like Robin did with Batman. At least he could talk comfortably with his father instead of falling into a shouting match that could be heard halfway to Metropolis. He looked concerned.

"Okay. If you need anything I'm just a call away."

"Right."

"I…I love you."

Cyborg's communicator bleeped. Had Beast Boy found Robin already? Mr. Stone nodded. Cyborg sighed heavily as he turned off the webcam. "I love you too, Dad."

Actually, he was glad that he got hurt instead of his dad. If he had gotten hurt Cyborg wouldn't have forgiven himself for letting that happen.

What was going to happen now? There was no telling what the virus had really done to him. Perhaps Brother Blood…

 _There_ was a thought. Cyborg didn't want to become nearly as obsessed as Robin, but as he thought about it more and more his theory that Brother Blood was behind this grew more appealing.

He looked out of the window again. Like most days in Jump City, it was a beautiful day with the sun shining down on the sparkling ocean. At any moment now Raven could be attacked. With Robin momentarily out of the picture because of his fight with Batman the Titans had no leader.

There was no telling what today would bring.

* * *

 **A/N:** I just want to let you know that I don't know much about Cyborg. I really don't. So pardon me for mistakes and for making things up about Cyborg's past. But I do believe that Cyborg's dad is alive…I think he helped finance Titans Tower or something…

I know it's terrible to have Robin just build up to that moment only to lose it. But there is a reason for Bruce's behavior. I'll leave it up to you to deduce what it is…I left a hint.

As always: review.


	20. Dust Chapter 19:Implications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** In a perfect world I would own Teen Titans. But this isn't a perfect world. I just have to be content with writing fanfiction.

**Disclaimer:** In a perfect world I would own Teen Titans. But this isn't a perfect world. I just have to be content with writing fanfiction.

 **A/N:** This poor Aes Sedai and her Trekkie roomie have the sniffles. But that hasn't stopped us from cackling with glee while we read/write fanfiction. But seriously, guys…how…on…earth…did…this chapter…come out on time? I'm so stressed out that I'm just about ready to take my tennis racquet out and go kill something. Preferably a small animal. I know that this isn't at the top of my priority list since I'm in school, but I'm an INTJ and I LIKE to have self-imposed deadlines. It makes me feel accomplished. And it's something for me to look forward to on the weekends. This week for me was just killer. It wasn't a bad week though, just a hard week at school.

GAH! I'm really talkative today.

* * *

Chapter 19: Implications

 **-BB-**

9:03am

Jump City, California

Beast Boy and Starfire flew through the streets of Jump City. At least his locator wasn't off line…although it seemed odd for him to run off like this. The Boy Wonder wasn't one to run away from his problems like a frightened child.

"His locator's signals are coming from the other side of town," Beast Boy said.

"Oh, I hope he has not gotten lost," Starfire said, her voice full of worry.

They found him sitting on the edge of a rooftop, his feet dangling over the side of the building. Robin's head was turned towards the large red-and-yellow circus tent erected just outside the city limits. Beast Boy stopped dead when he noticed tears trailing down Robin's cheeks. The way Robin was just sitting there reminded Beast Boy too much of a depressed child. There were times when he wanted to see Robin's other side…but not this.

He let Starfire float to the edge to comfort him. She spoke to him in a low voice while Beast Boy watched from a distance. It didn't take a genius to know that something was going on between those two. Watching them interact so intimately only ostracized him from them as he thought of what could have been with Terra.

Yes, he loved the ladies. But even though Starfire didn't know who the boy was underneath the mask she could relate to Robin in a way no one else on the team could. In a way they held each other up. Beast Boy longed for that kind of relationship, and watching them together only reopened the wound in his heart for Terra.

After a minute Robin pushed himself to his feet and wiped away his tears with the back of his hand. The changeling didn't like to see his leader so…emotionally weak. All of his conceptions of what the Boy Wonder was like had changed drastically since their first encounter. To think that Beast Boy kept calling him "sir"…

"What happened?" Beast Boy asked. "Didn't you call Batman?"

The Boy Wonder visibly tensed at the mention of Batman. Almost at once Beast Boy wished that he had kept his mouth shut. Robin _did_ call Batman. He wondered briefly what Batman had said or done to make Robin _cry._

"Batman can shove it," Robin said, his tone uncharacteristically harsh. "He's not coming to help us. He doesn't care about me or anyone else."

"But didn't you-?"

 _"You don't know him like I do!"_ Robin snapped. "He manipulates people, even the people he claims to care about. He doesn't care about anyone but himself."

Robin took out his grapple hook and leapt off of the side of the building. Beast Boy stayed behind for a fraction of a second.

Just last night Robin spoke of Batman tenderly. What on earth did Batman say this morning to make him so edgy? Robin told him that Slade wanted a son…so he took him away from Batman. Even though Beast Boy and the others now knew that Slade seriously screwed with Robin's head Beast Boy began to suspect that something more went on between them. It was a well-known fact that Robin's relationship with Batman was rocky _before_ Robin came to Jump City. Did Slade still influence Batman and Robin's relationship? Did the apprenticeship cause even more friction between them?

Before Starfire and Robin disappeared around a corner Beast Boy leapt off and morphed into a hawk to follow them.

"So what are we going to do next?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm going to call the Chief of Police and have him round up all of the suspects. I want to talk to them myself…especially the vandal Mark Wolfman."

"Shouldn't we have done that sooner?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, if you suspected their further involvement—"

"They're only pawns," Robin said. "But I can't think of anything else to do."

"Raven does not believe that the perpetrator will harm her," Starfire said.

"She's wrong. It doesn't matter if she thinks nothing will happen. Something's going to happen and Raven knows it."

 _And God save us all when it does,_ Beast Boy thought.

 **-BW-**

12:36pm

Gotham City

Wayne Enterprises

Bruce fought back a yawn as he studied the charts Lucius was showing to the others at the meeting. Some of his employees turned their heads to look at him. At least he hadn't fallen asleep again in his chair. By now most were used to his sleepy interactions. He knew that it was bad protocol, but what could he do? Clayface managed to avoid him for the rest of the night.

Lucius shook his head disapprovingly, although said nothing to Bruce. In a way, Lucius was a good man for putting up with him. Him and Alfred both tolerated him more than they should. It seemed as though Dick was the only person who dared to talk back to him…well, in a more straightforward way.

"Mr. Wayne," Lucius said, bringing Bruce out of his daze, "do you approve of the funds for upgrading security?"

"What?"

"Security upgrades for our auxiliary buildings, Mr. Wayne. In particular our building in Jump City was broken into about a year ago, don't you remember?"

 _Oh like hell I do,_ Bruce thought.

"The Teen Titans got involved, didn't they?"

"Yes, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce nodded, not trusting himself to say anything more. He knew the real reason why their auxiliary building in Jump City was broken into. It wasn't a lack or flaw of security. As the sensible heir apparent Dick knew the layout of the building pretty well. The only reason Bruce allowed Dick in to live in Jump City by himself was because of his branch there. He could subtly keep an eye on him. How ironic, then, that Slade made him steal from Wayne Enterprises.

As Lucius turned back to the charts the entire room jumped when a cell phone rang. Realizing that the noise was coming from his pocket, Bruce held up a finger and pulled out his cell phone. He glanced at the caller i.d. How strange, Clark was calling him on his personal cell phone instead of the JLA communicator. What could be so important?

"I'm sorry, Lucius, I have to take this call."

There was nothing Lucius could really say or do to stop Bruce from taking the call. Silently cursing Clark, Bruce got up from his chair and went out to the hallway. Since most of his staff was on lunch break there weren't a lot of people in the building. As soon as Bruce answered the call Clark's voice bellowed out in an angry tone.

 _"What is wrong with you?"_

"Wait…wait...what are you talking about?"

The lack of sleep made his head muddled, which merely annoyed him. There was still so much work to be done. Honestly, he didn't understand. Sure, Clark thought he was crazy all the time but this tone suggested that he was ready to argue this one out. Whatever it was that he was angry about.

"Bruce, what the hell is wrong with you? Alfred called _me_ this morning _._ Dick was trying to talk to you and you just pushed him away!"

Alfred called Clark? What right—

"This is a personal matter and it has nothing to do with the League! Stay out of this, Clark!"

 _"NO!"_ Clark growled. "Listen to me: that boy has been through too much…more than any kid his age should go through. He's been denying this for a year and now when he's finally ready to talk to you about it—"

"I just—this isn't a good time."

It really wasn't. He couldn't back out of this meeting now.

"When is a good time? When?"

Bruce couldn't answer. Annoyance and anger surged through him. Just because Clark was the Man of Steel didn't mean that he held the ultimate authority within the League. Bruce made sure of that by carrying a little bit of Kryptonite with him at all times.

"Look, you called in the middle of a conference meeting. I can't talk now."

"Bruce, don't hang up on m—"

He did exactly that. To make sure that Clark wouldn't bother him anymore Bruce turned off his cell phone and placed it back in his pocket.

 _The Joker is involved,_ he thought, _He's always making me edgy even when he's in Arkham._

He felt no shame for walking away from Dick. What the kid didn't quite understand—what the kid _still_ didn't understand—was that Bruce worked to keep everyone safe.

Now that he thought about it, though, he felt a tinge of regret for not listening to him. It was just that he wanted to get this business with Clayface over with. He honestly wanted to talk about that business with the apprenticeship with Dick and understand what went on between them.

If Dick had disappeared completely and continued to work for Slade things could have fallen apart for the entire superhero community. It did worry him that Slade knew his identity, and if what Dick said was true then there was the question of how Slade figured it out.

His Justice League Signal device buzzed. Bruce took it out of his pocket and sighed. Barry was calling him now. Clark must have told everyone in the League and Reserves about what happened that morning. Bruce gritted his teeth. He didn't want Clark or anyone else getting into this. One thing he disliked about working with the League was the politics. Everyone butted into everyone else's business. And Clark _always_ butted into his business.

Bruce ignored his communicator and walked alone down the empty hallway of Wayne Enterprises with his hands deep in his pockets. Dick's haunting words about Slade being right echoed in his mind. His footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hallway. He stopped in front of the large window overlooking Gotham City, which still looked gloomy even at high noon.

Being at one of the topmost levels and one of the highest buildings in Gotham City, Bruce felt as though he was on top of the world. This was the city he protected. His home. He worked hard to make the world a better place. He had the choice of squandering his parents' wealth and become a true spoiled playboy, but Bruce didn't do that.

Bruce barely noticed the sound of another pair of feet approaching him. He could tell from the heavy footsteps who it was before the man spoke.

"Should we finish the meeting another time, Mr. Wayne?" Lucius asked.

"Yes, Lucius. I'm sorry, but it's family business."

"Is everything all right?"

"I need to speak with Dick. I'm flying out to Jump City tomorrow morning."

Bruce found his gaze drifting back to the window. After their shouting match Dick probably changed his mind about having Batman help. However, Dick had called him to ask for help. Bruce intended to keep his promise even if Dick didn't want help anymore. There was just one thing he had to do: reassure himself that the Joker was behind bars and not involved and capture Clayface.

Lucius' face brightened at the mention of Dick.  
"I really do miss that kid," Lucius said, "how's he doing in California?"

"Spectacular. I just…I just want to visit him."

To his surprise Lucius placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I understand. You're a great man, Bruce. You've done so much for him. I hope you have a good time out in California."

His stomach churned as Lucius smiled warmly before turning away back to head back to the conference room. He was never one to praise himself for charity work, and Dick was not a charity case. He didn't like to think of Dick as a charity case. He knew that Dick would hate to be thought of as a charity case. Bruce clutched the Justice League Signal Device tightly in his fist as he looked back to the window.

Lucius was wrong.

Bruce allowed Dick to go out to Jump City to put his life on the line every day. He trained the kid to protect himself but that eventually attracted the attention of a mercenary looking for an apprentice. Lucius didn't know about Bruce and Dick's nighttime vigilante activities, so of course there was no way he could see Bruce and Dick's relationship otherwise. Lucius had no idea of the horrors Dick went through. Yes, Bruce had trained him. He trained Dick to the best of his abilities. But even that wasn't good enough. In that respect, Bruce had failed.

And Bruce didn't want to admit it out loud.

He looked out of the window again and saw Alfred waiting for him on the edge of the curb. That man always seemed to know when he was needed most. It was an uncanny habit of his. Sighing heavily, Bruce made his way out of the building.

"Master Bruce."

Alfred stood in front of the car, holding the door open for him. The expression on the British butler's face was of indifference. Bruce didn't have to ask to know what was bothering him. He ducked his head and went into the car.

"Mr. Kent called again," Alfred said. "He wants to talk to you."

"So does the rest of the League."

Bruce set his elbow against the side of the car and glared out of the tinted windows. He took his Justice League signal Device from his pocket and saw that Diana and Ollie also called. Wonderful.

"Alfred, why did you call Clark?"

Alfred pulled away from the curb and began to drive back to Wayne Manor. He glanced up at the rearview mirror to look at Bruce.

"I called Mr. Kent because I could not contact Dick. I know that Dick listens to him, especially when he doesn't listen to you."

"I should be the one talking to him. I—"

"Master Bruce, you are not the only one who cares for Dick. You are his guardian and mentor. Act like it."

Bruce shot Alfred a cold glare. He didn't like the fact that everyone was accusing him of being a bad father.

"I agreed to help him, didn't I?"

"Indeed you did, Master Bruce, but you did not need to accuse the boy of weakness. You know so much better than that." Alfred shook his head. "You are supposed to act as his anchor, the foundation to all that he's learned and all that he fights for. He called seeking comfort and you did not give it to him. I believe that Master Dick did not want to tell you about the apprenticeship because he was afraid that it would hurt you to know how much it hurt him."

Genuinely surprised, Bruce thought about that for a moment. He did the things he did because it was a way for him to let out his inner angst. Bruce wasn't one to get all touchy-feely. Dick was always the more free-spirited one. He was more emotionally vulnerable and easily manipulated. Perhaps Slade had been such a master of psychology that he realized this long before Dick left for Jump City. He went over their conversation again. As he thought it over again he realized how _stupid_ it was to say that in the middle's of Dick's monologue. What went over him? Did his tone actually sound accusing? He didn't mean to sound accusing. And if what Alfred said was true…then…

Bruce struggled to comprehend this. Like himself, Dick held a high code of conduct and ethics on fighting crime. He never taught Dick to put himself before others. To sacrifice himself for the sake of others. Bruce loved the kid. He really did. But sometimes it seemed as though Dick tried too hard to protect the physical and mental well-beings of the people he loved.

"I also believe," Alfred continued, "that Dick defended you while he was with Deathstroke. To have you accuse him of weakness after he went through all that was the worst thing to say to him. And that is why, Master Bruce, you must talk to him."

"He's right. But I have to find Clayface. I have to see the Joker. I have to—"

"Master Bruce, being Batman isn't your day job. You have other responsibilities. I suggest that you go to Jump City not only to help the Titans, but to apologize to Dick. Not through me. Not through Clark. From you."

As much as Bruce wanted to deny this, Alfred was right. Sometimes the line between civilian and hero blurred much too often. The two sat in silence for a good five minutes.

"Your jet leaves at five tomorrow morning," Alfred said. "I suppose you'll sleeping on the plane."

"I suppose so. Are you coming with me?"

"Of course. I have a hunch that it would do Master Dick some good if I saw him."

Having Alfred with him would definitely produce a calming effect on Dick for the inevitable shouting match that would occur.

Tonight was going to be an interesting night. Before heading back to Wayne Manor Batman contacted Gordon again and asked about wrangling a pass into Arkham. Commissioner Gordon, though somewhat baffled, said that he could get one by early tonight. Once Bruce saw the Joker rolling on the floor and laughing hysterically in his straightjacket would Bruce's mind finally be at ease.

This time Clayface was going down. There wouldn't be any jewel thieves to distract him tonight. Once these problems were settled he would be on his way to Jump City. Although he more of a laconic man Bruce decided that he would show Dick that he cared for him by helping him solve this mystery.

 **-C-**

9:39am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

"Dude, what happened?" Cyborg asked as Robin, Starfire, and Beast Boy came into the Tower.

Robin looked particularly frazzled. Even his jet-black hair—usually up in its customary spikes—seemed to droop a little. He shook his head, as though he was trying to convey to them that he didn't want to talk.

"Robin, we all know you talked to Batman!" Beast Boy exclaimed, throwing out his arms for emphasis. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

The little liar.

It annoyed Cyborg that even after all they had been through together, Robin was still unwilling to talk about the things that bothered him. Cyborg wouldn't mind it so much if it didn't affect the performance of the team. Although it was a weakness they had to fix, the Titans really couldn't function well without Robin as their leader. Oh, Cyborg did act as a surrogate leader those few times Robin wasn't there, but Robin was a competent leader.

"Robin," Raven said, "if you're going to act like this all day then will you at least talk about what's bothering you?"

"None of you would understand—"

"Try us," Cyborg said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Not once had Robin ever mentioned why he and Batman had a falling out. From what Cyborg could tell, they had an odd love-hate relationship going on. It was quite a contrast to the younger, pun-loving Robin in his scaly green shortpants.

"Fine. I called Batman. I asked for help, all right?" Robin pressed a hand to his chest. "I admit that I'm wrong. I admit that I haven't been able to stop these attacks from happening. Batman and I…we've moved past the stage of partnership. He's controlling."

"Even more so than Slade was?" Beast Boy asked.

Robin's jaw dropped slightly, but he closed his mouth into a firm frown. For all the crap that everyone—including Cyborg—had given Robin about being similar to Slade, Cyborg realized that Slade acted more like Batman than anyone else.

"No. Batman never tried to kill my friends. He never tried to control me like that. He offered me the opportunity to fight back and I took it. Slade gave me no choice in the matter."

"So you asked Batman for help," Cyborg said, "is he going to come and help us?"

Judging from the expression on Robin's face, Cyborg already knew what the answer would be. Both pity and sympathy surged through Cyborg as realization came crashing down on him. Robin had asked for help and Batman had refused. This man who raised him refused to give his protégée help when Robin needed it the most. That would crush anyone.

"He's trying to crack a drug ring involving Black Mask and Clayface," Robin said, trying to avoid the question. "He believes that the Joker is involved, even though the Joker is locked up in Arkham."

"So…what does that mean?" Beast Boy asked.

"It means that he's not coming until he figures it out."

Both Slade and Batman reminded Cyborg of the coaches he had in high school. They were always pushing him to do his best even when the best didn't seem good enough. But the worst kind of reaction to get is the cold shoulder. When the coach doesn't even acknowledge you when you've lost.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Cyborg asked.

"The question isn't _if_ I can handle this," Robin replied, "the question is if whoever is behind this can handle it when I get my hands on him."

"We haven't really looked into Brother Blood," Cyborg said, "I think we should at least take a look into the HIVE Academy. After all, they've been more active than usual lately."

Robin looked up at Cyborg with a tired expression.

"Yes, I suppose we should. All of our other options are moot."

He didn't sound too enthusiastic about the idea.

"First we're going to talk to those suspects we know were involved," Robin said, "the security guard Bill Menville, the astronomer Dr. Glen Cipes, and the vandal Mark Wolfman."

 **-R-**

10:58am

Jump City, California

Jump City Police Department

The three suspects sat handcuffed to the tables: the vandal Mark Wolfman, the astronomer Dr. Glen Cipes, and the security guard Bill Menville. Although Menville was blackmailed he agreed to the come to the meeting. No one had officially been arrested, but all three were being kept in holding cells until the mastermind behind these attacks was caught.

"Thanks for letting us in, Chief," Robin said, glaring at the suspects through the two-way mirror with his arms crossed over his chest.

"No problem, Robin," Johnson said. "I hope you figure this out soon."

The Chief of Police's tone was careful. Deep down Robin knew that many policemen thought that the Titans shouldn't be doing vigilante work, but like many others Johnson respected Robin because he used to work with Batman.

And for some, that was the only reason why they tolerated the Titans.

"What do you to find?" Cyborg asked.

"We still don't know who broke into the Tower and implanted the virus," Robin said. "Or messed with Star's technology or—"

His communicator rang.

Startled, Robin took out his communicator and found that Superman was calling him. Several milling police officers looked up at the noise, their faces intrigued. He didn't like the fact that everyone was watching him. He nodded towards them and gestured towards the empty hallway.

"I have to take this call."

Superman's handsome face appeared on the communicator, although he looked concerned. Almost at once Robin's heart sank when he realized that he knew exactly what Superman was going to talk about.

"I heard about what happened."

"Oh, so now the entire League knows?"

This irritated Robin. He loved Clark like an uncle, but spreading the news of their catfight to the other League members without Robin's knowledge grated him just a bit.

"Well…yes."

"Fantastic."

"Listen, Robin, we're on your side. We've all been trying to contact Batman."

"If you manage to talk to him—which I doubt you'll be able to do—then would you mind telling him how much of a prick he is?"

If there was anyone who could bring Bruce to his senses then it would be either Alfred or Clark. A lot of people in the League used to think that—because Robin was his adopted son and protégée—Dick could get closer to Bruce better than anyone could. But now that certainly wasn't the case.

"He's not a prick. He just gets a little…a little…"

"Obsessive? Yeah, I know what that's like."

And his friends thought that _he_ was obsessive. Nothing would compare to the Dark Knight, who was going just a little overboard with the Joker.

"Why are you calling me?"

"He'll listen to you. I know you two don't talk too much anymore, but even if it doesn't seem like he's listening know that he is. Having you as a partner was one of the best things that ever happened to Bruce. Ever since you left to form the Titans Bruce has been acting worse. I'm just calling to tell you, on behalf of myself and of the Justice League, to talk to him. Please talk to him. And we also wanted to let you know that we all care about you and your friends."

Superman logged off before Robin could reply.

To his surprise, Robin found that Superman's words hit him harder that he originally thought. He clutched the communicator in a tight fist and brought it to his forehead. He wasn't going to cry again, but he still shut his eyes tightly.

It was astounding, sometimes, to think about the community of superheroes as a whole. Everyone knew everyone in this risky business. In a way, he was still a performer of sorts. Ever since his parents' deaths he never really left the world of flamboyant personalities and flagrant spandex uniforms. Everyone in the League, the Green Lantern Corps, the Justice Society and the Titans may not all be human, but everyone leaned on each other for support like a family.

He often wondered why, if Superman and Batman and everyone else cared for him so much, they did not come to help him when he was trapped as Slade's apprentice.

"Robin?"

Starfire stuck her head out of the doorway to look at him. He had almost forgotten that everyone was still waiting for him. Robin put his communicator away and strode back towards the interrogation room.

"I'll be doing the talking."

He ignored his teammates' low murmurs as he walked into the interrogation room. Even though he knew that he shouldn't do things alone, he couldn't help but continuously fall into this pattern. He heard them follow him.

"Hey Boy Blunder," Wolfman sneered.

He glared coldly at Mark Wolfman.

No one knew how pissed he felt. Since Bruce walked away he didn't call back. He wasn't sure if Bruce was still coming to Jump to help. Now Robin wasn't even sure if he still wanted Bruce to come.

"I am _done_ playing games," Robin snarled, grasping Wolfman by the collar of his shirt. "Tell me, Wolfman, how many fistfights have you actually gotten yourself into?"

Wolfman shook his head, still smirking.

"Kid, you're not the Bat. Don't try to scare me. It won't work."

Why were people always comparing him to Batman? This only fueled the bad mood he was already in. When would he step out of Batman's shadow and become his own man?

"True. I'm not. But that doesn't mean that I can't try."

"Oh bird boy, you're no fun like this," Wolfman said, "whatever happened to the puns and shortpants?"

For once these insults didn't register in Robin's mind. They were juvenile. Harmless insults. Robin found himself smirking.

"Oh, the puns haven't left me. The thing is that I can be _nasty_ when I want to be. Jump is tame compared to Gotham…and nothing the HIVE Headmistress taught could ever prepare you for the real world. I've seen people go insane. I've investigated murders and faced murderers. I've seen people die."

Suddenly all the horrors of Gotham City's underground came flooding back to him. He remembered chasing down the Joker with Batman and finding people literally dying of laughter as the Joker's laughing gas sank into their nervous systems. And, of course, he remembered watching his parents fall from the trapezes that had grown to love.

Crooks killed his parents. They were murderers. The criminals in Gotham didn't train in a prissy prep school for kiddie villains. They learned how to live the hard way.

"Have you ever seen anyone die, Wolfman? Anyone at all?"

The vandal looked a little unnerved at Robin's choice of interrogation techniques. Robin never lied when he said he learned from the best. Bruce taught him all that he knew and he was grateful for that. Robin suddenly understood that he wouldn't have to physically hurt Wolfman to get a response from him. Wolfman shook his head.

"How about having a gun shoved to your forehead by a psychopath? Or knowing that your whole way of life can be destroyed with the push of a button?" Robin didn't know where all of this was coming from. He hated this guy's flippant attitude towards Gothamites. In a way, Robin felt as if he knew more about crime than Wolfman did just because he grew up in Gotham. He wanted to show this guy that he wasn't a sissy kid playing hero in tights. "Or knowing that no matter what you do or say the screwball messing with you won't _ever_ let you go? Criminals like the Joker will hire you, feed you spiked candy and laugh while you vomit your innards out."

He was so focused on his monologue that he didn't notice the horrified expressions on the Titans' faces. But he didn't care. This was what he grew up with. There was a hard core criminal class that used people like Wolfman to wipe the blood of their victims off of the streets. Those were the kind of people he dealt with when he worked with Batman. Robin let the vandal go. Wolfman slumped back into his chair.

"Criminals like you ruin lives—and I'm not just talking about the people you kill. There's collateral damage and messy cleanup."

Both Dr. Cipes and Menville stared at Robin in odd fascination. Robin wasn't aware just how creepy he sounded. But it was the truth. Gotham City was a tough neighborhood to grow up in, even for a circus boy.

These three people were key to figuring out this whole mystery. If Robin could get John Wyatt—that guy who wrote the Tamaran article in the Daily Planet—here he would. But it was fine just having these three here. Robin crossed his arms over his chest.

"So, gentlemen, do you have anything to say?"

Dr. Cipes shook his head in dumb silence. Wolfman looked a little shaken, but tried to keep a calm demeanor.

The guard spread his hands apart.

"How much time do you have left?"

"Next to none." Robin cocked his head to the side as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Menville, when did your employer contact you? Do you have his phone number or email address or—"

"After he bombed my front porch he sent me a disposable cell phone in the mail that had enough minutes for one call. He used that one call to tell me to free Cinderblock when I received a text to tell me to. This happened about nine months ago, just before Terra betrayed your team."

"What were the perpetrator's exact words?"

"He told me to wait. No matter how long it would take for my signal to arrive. If I didn't do it then he would make sure that everyone in my family would die."

Robin's eyes widened as he realized the implications of what Menville was saying. Again, though, Robin knew that his rivalry with Slade wasn't a secret. Everyone knew about how obsessive he got over the man. Anyone could have done this. The perpetrator was a patient fellow. It was likely that someone from among the Bat-villains could be doing this. Ra's al Ghul perhaps.

"Mr. Wolfman, when were you hired?"

"About the same time as him."

"And Dr. Cipes?"

"The same time. Once I contacted the Daily Planet money was transferred to my account. Police already tried tracking it, though, so I don't think you'll have any luck with that."

So they were all hired at the same time. Someone planned this out very carefully. Robin could tell that the suspects didn't know anything more. His eyes glanced at the clock on the wall. Time was running out. Whatever was going to happen could happen at any moment. He wasn't going to waste more time.

"Let's contact the HIVE."

* * *

 **A/N:** Wow…Robin's just uber-pissed in this chapter, isn't he? Well, I would be too actually. Tell me if you think he's a little OOC. I also love writing Bruce's reactions to the whole apprentice thing because we just didn't get enough of Batman on the show (which was like, non-existent except for those few bats) and I'm quite sure Bruce would have something to say about it.

Oh, and BTW when I said that I left a hint in the last chapter I didn't necessarily mean that the hint was in THAT chapter now, did I?

Be awesome. Go review (not that you aren't awesome if you don't review, 'cause you definitely are if you're reading this).

P.S I joined Tumblr. My roomie coerced me. So now I have another website to rant about superheroes and DC Comics. Same username, but I have revealed my first name on Tumblr…

Haha…wow guys…I'm going to pass out now. See ya next week.


	21. Sanity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Well, you better hide your kids and hide your wife. Might as well hide your husbands too because I don't own Teen Titans.

**Disclaimer:** Well, you better hide your kids and hide your wife. Might as well hide your husbands too because I don't own Teen Titans.

 **A/N:** So this week was better than last week. I had the most wonderful day Wednesday and…I'll tell this to anyone who'll listen: as I was working on this chapter at around midnight Wednesday about ten of our (both my roomie's and my) guy friends burst into my dorm room dressed in Army gear and wielding nerf guns. After a glorious battle cry they then started shooting my roomie and I. We screamed and chased them out of our dorm in our PJs and woke everyone up.

I LOVE COLLEGE.

* * *

Chapter 20: Sanity

 **-S-**

11:28am

Jump City, California

Jump City Police Department

Starfire didn't know quite what to think of Robin's monologue about Gotham. As a warrior herself she was quite used to the idea of violence, but she didn't expect to hear anything of the sort from Robin.

"That was…unexpected," she said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Beast Boy said. "I don't know how Gothamites stay sane."

She watched Robin stride with military precision out of the JCPD. The way he described Gotham to the vandal was unsettling. The JCPD officers watched in silence as Robin strode past them. Some stared with their mouths hanging open while still on the phone, the voices on the other end of the telephones babbling away incomprehensibly. This must be quite a shook to them. The world grew up knowing Robin as the cheerful sidekick of Batman. To listen to his unsettling monologue about Gotham's underground must have shattered a lot of peoples' perception of him.

A real paradigm shift.

But, at the same time, his monologue reminded the world the real reason why he fought crime. He didn't fight to give a performance (even though dressing up in tights and a mask was a performance in itself) he fought because he wanted to bring criminals to justice. He fought because there were sick people in the world like the Joker.

"Perhaps we should call the Batman," Starfire whispered to Raven. "Perhaps we will be able to help—"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Raven replied. "There's a whole side of Robin that I don't think we're meant to understand. He has a life outside of being Robin."

"But he trusts me—"

"Of course he trusts us. But think about it: he has people in Gotham he needs to protect. Slade didn't just humiliate him when he forced Robin to take off the mask. He knew his secret identity, effectively betraying his former mentor's identity and the identities of half of the Justice League. The implications are horrible to think about. It was just our luck Slade didn't decide to sell Robin or Batman's identities to any other villain out there."

Starfire never thought of it like that before. She just thought it strange that she could become so emotionally close to Robin, yet never really know who he was. That was just a part of Robin that she had to accept—unless Robin choose to tell her his secret identity. Now that that issue had been brought to life it annoyed her somewhat that he didn't seem to trust her enough to reveal his secret identity.

But Starfire wouldn't obsess over it.

Back on the rooftop she had approached him meekly, as though afraid to set him off on a rampage again. Starfire had never seen him cry before. Of course, he had come close to crying multiple times. He just didn't like to admit it.

 _"Robin," she said, hovering before him. "What did the Batman say?"_

 _He looked at her. For a moment she thought that he would snap back at her. Tears fell freely down his face as he looked away. Starfire understood just how touchy he was about Batman, but they had a huge argument. Everyone heard._

 _A few feet away Beast Boy stood, shuffling his feet and looking elsewhere as Starfire talked to Robin._

 _"He…he just…"Robin spluttered, unable to find words. "I don't believe it. I can't believe he just walked away…"_

 _Starfire took a hold of both of his hands. They were trembling like aspens. After the events of the night before Starfire understood that she shouldn't try to understand Robin's problems. Like the Batman, Robin was reluctant to speak of his problems with other people. All that he needed were friends who simply accepted him for who he was._

She glanced at him again. Seeing him this angry didn't do anything to help their situation. Even though she was Tamaranean she knew that Robin only acted like this to vent out his frustration with the Batman. From what little she knew of Gotham's Dark Knight she could tell that he was…not an unpleasant man…but a blunt man. He would do well on Tamaran.

Still, talking about vomiting innards and dying of laughter wasn't something the Dark Knight would say. Well, maybe. She did not know.

Since she did not know the Batman, she could not help but make comparisons between Robin and Slade again. They were similar…but at the same time they weren't. It seemed as though whenever Robin became stressed out he acted like Slade. He wasn't like that all the time. The incident with the dust just made him more obsessive than he usually was. What Slade didn't seem to understand was that Robin could be laid back and funny when he wanted to be. She glanced to the side as another memory crept into her the Titans burst into Slade's lair Starfire had heard the last bit of Slade and Robin's conversation.

 _"Don't…" Robin's voice said weakly, so faint that Starfire barely heard. "I'll do whatever you say."_

 _Cyborg and Starfire exchanged worried looks. This only made them pick up their pace. For the past month no one had heard from Robin. Slade hadn't even been calling to taunt them and now…now…Starfire was afraid of what she would find. Cyborg reached the door first and slid it open silently._

 _The Titans stepped inside and saw the two standing a few feet apart. The giant television screens played live footage of the nanoscopic probes coursing through the Titans veins, a morbid reminder to Robin. Slade stood with his back to the door while Robin stood with his shoulders slumped in defeat. His head hung a little, as though he was afraid to look Slade in the face. At a glance Starfire could tell that the two recently fought…and it was obvious as to who won. Both Robin and Slade were breathing heavily, as though they just got back from a run. Sweat poured down Robin's face as he stared at the floor._

 _"Good boy," Slade said, "and from now on…I'd like you to call me Master."_

 _Neither Slade nor Robin had heard the Titans come in. Slade's back was to the Titans. He was so focused on taunting Robin that he didn't notice anything else. Starfire's heart sank as an expression of shock momentarily crossed Robin's face. After a moment his face fell in defeat._

 _That did it._

 _At that moment she knew that Robin had never turned. Without waiting for the signal Starfire acted first. Anger bubbled within her, fueling the righteous fury she needed to throw starbolts. She hated Slade for what he had done. She hated him for tricking them all with the faux Chronoton Detonator and for injecting them with the probes. But what she hated most was how he used this to coerce Robin into serving him. With a roar of fury she flung a sizzling starbolt at Slade's unprotected back. To her satisfaction the force of it caught Slade completely off guard. The mercenary was thrown off of his feet and across the room. Robin started and snapped his head around, the eyeholes of his mask widening in astonishment and terror. Following her example, the other Titans stood ready for action as Starfire's glowing eyes narrowed as she watched Slade recover from the sudden attack._

 _She was pissed._

 _"Leave. Him. Alone."_

"It seems as though the HIVE Academy must be behind this," Starfire said. "If no one else is."

"But who's to say this that isn't a new villain?" Raven asked. "Someone who's even more reclusive than Slade was…someone who's been waiting for an opportunity to arise to attack us."

Despite her optimistic personality, Starfire's mood did not improve when she heard this. It still puzzled her that the Batman was not coming to help. A few days ago—when the Batman called—he seemed overeager to help them. So eager, in fact, that he talked down to Robin in front of the other Titans. She could understand why Robin would be hurt. If she called Galfore for help she knew that her _knorfka_ would drop everything to come and help her.

She feared for his sanity.

 **-C-**

1:12pm

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

"Is there any way to contact the HIVE?" Robin asked.

Everyone looked at Cyborg. He had to admit that this was what he had been wanting to do all week. Ever since he managed to destroy the Academy he hadn't heard anything from the Headmaster.

"What do you hope to discover by contacting the HIVE?" Raven asked.

"Let's assume that Brother Blood is the one behind these attacks," Robin said. "I…" Robin frowned. "Actually, I'd rather talk to the previous HIVE Mistress."

"Why?" Beast Boy asked. "She's sort of MIA."

Oh yeah. Red X mentioned that, but Cyborg knew for the longest time that she was missing. It was one of the few things he tried to solve while working undercover at the HIVE Academy. To no one's surprise Cyborg found no trace of the previous Head Mistress. Robin continued to speak.

"Slade was messing with us for the longest time, even before I was…uh…his employee. He didn't expect the HIVE kids to defeat us. He wanted to send us a message. Since Slade worked with the HIVE before she might have the information we need, and one of the HIVE kids might also have the information we need."

"What was the message?" Beast Boy asked.

"What?"

"The message that Slade wanted to send. I don't remember Slade sending us any message through the HIVE kids."

Robin coughed uncomfortably into his fist. Cocking his head to the side like a curious beagle before realization struck him in the face. It wasn't a message meant for the rest of the Titans to understand. Raven took charge.

"So what do you propose we do?" Raven asked. "The HIVE disappeared after Cyborg shut the Academy down."

Cyborg frowned. He didn't want to talk to the HIVE graduates—especially that little brat Gizmo. And it wasn't just because they were annoying enemies. Unlike the others, Cyborg had actually gotten to know the HIVE trio as people. They were kids just like the rest of them were. But unlike the Teen Titans, the HIVE kids had to respond to a higher power, namely their Headmaster or Headmistress.

Brother Blood.

 _"It looks like we have ourselves a natural," Brother Blood said. "Put him to the maximum."_

 _The hooded HIVE agent nodded silently as he upped the controls. Cyborg groaned under the sudden weight. He was reminded of that time he fought against Atlas, that arrogant robot, when he had to push through his mechanical limits to win._

 _This wasn't a mission where he could do that. Sure, he could rely on brawn, but to effectively bamboozle the HIVE Headmaster Cyborg would have to use his brains. Sweat poured down his face as Cyborg struggled to keep going. The headmaster's snide expression suggested that he knew Cyborg's secret. Or was that how he looked all of the time?_

 _With a loud grunt Cyborg managed to push the weights back upward. A smile crept across Brother Blood's face. As Cyborg lay on the bench panting the Headmaster glided towards him._

 _"That was excellent, Mr. Stone," Brother Blood said, holding out a towel. "I'm really quite impressed."_

 _"Thanks."_

 _Cyborg accepted the towel and wiped away the sweat from his face. That had been too close._

 _Brother Blood didn't seem to be the type of guy who would go out and fight. He talked too much. Cyborg was sure that he could beat Blood to a pulp if he wanted to._

 _"Walk with me, if you will, Mr. Stone."_

 _The other HIVE students glared at him as Cyborg walked alongside the HIVE headmaster, especially that girl Bumblebee. Her wings fluttered animatedly as she huffed and looked away from them. From what Cyborg knew she was another one of Brother Blood's favorites. He avoided her gaze as he swung the sweaty towel over his shoulders. Honestly, it couldn't have been better to have Blood so interested in his alter ego. That meant that he could get closer to him than if he stayed in the shadows, just like his original plan stipulated._

 _"I normally don't ask this of my students, but I believe that you are a special case."_

 _"In what way, Headmaster?"_

 _"Only a few of the students at my school have had the nerve to actually break in. That is initiative. That's what I like to see in young people: initiative."_

 _The undercover Titan studied Blood with his hard gray holographic eyes. Just the way Brother Blood talked reminded him of one of his coaches in high school._

 _"I heard about your school. Thought I might try something new."_

 _"I'd like to know a little more about you."_

 _The cybernetic teen stopped in his tracks. Did Brother Blood know who he was?_ Well, _Cyborg reasoned,_ he must want to know all of his top students personally. _It wasn't that strange really._

 _"You're going to have to be more specific than that."_

 _"You have such potential. Tell me, were you trained by anyone in particular? The apprentice of a well-known criminal, perhaps?"_

 _The Headmaster could be persuasive when he wanted to be. Cyborg still thought it strange that a school for young villains existed. For some reason, Cyborg was reminded of the time when Robin lived with Slade._

 _Brother Blood was a flamboyant figure compared to Slade. In a way, this was similar to Robin's apprenticeship. The difference was that Cyborg didn't have to live with a psychopath twenty-four seven. At least he had a dorm room to himself and other people to talk to. From what Cyborg could tell Slade tried to force Robin to bond with him by cutting off all other connections to the outside world. This school was the exact opposite of that kind of coercion._

 _This school made him feel…special. Living here for a week had changed his perspective on the HIVE kids. He never expected them to act the way they did…especially when Jinx asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance. He felt welcomed in a semi-normal society. Living as a mechanical hybrid did nothing to boost his self-esteem once he integrated back into society._

 _"No. I learned crime on the streets." Cyborg felt uncomfortable. "Look, Headmaster, can we talk some other time? I want to take a shower before heading off to dinner."_

 _"Of course, Mr. Stone."_

 _Cyborg watched Brother Blood walk away and shook his head. He couldn't afford to get in too deep._

 _That was exactly how Stockholm Syndrome worked. He wasn't about to pull a Patty Hearst. No matter how much he felt welcomed here, Cyborg had to remember that only Stone the Criminal was welcomed here. Not Cyborg the undercover Teen Titan._

"Cyborg?"

Cyborg looked at Robin oddly. For the longest time he thought that he had little in common with the Boy Wonder. Even though Slade messed with Robin, did Robin ever feel the same way? He lived with the guy for a month after all. Weren't there moments when he felt a little happy? Or moments when he felt as if he could sympathize with Slade? Did Slade _ever_ give Robin the chance to be happy?

That was an odd thought.

He suddenly felt angry at himself. There was nothing Brother Blood had ever done to make him feel welcomed. The villain was full of lies. All villains were full of lies. Brother Blood could only give the illusion of what Cyborg wanted—his real body. A chance to start again.

"Knowing Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo like I do, I bet they're floating around causing trouble somewhere."

"But last time they ran off, since we had Flash with us," Beast Boy said. "Why would they come back for seconds?"

"Because they're idiots," Cyborg said. "The HIVE teaches crap to its students. They're nothing but juvenile delinquents."

"We're running out of time," Robin said, slamming a fist into his hand. "We can't work on the assumption that they _may_ be out committing crime. Is there any way to contact them?"

 _"You're one of us, now," Jinx said, handing him a HIVE communicator._

"Yeah. There is." Of course, why didn't he think of it before? It wasn't as if he was stupid enough to throw it away after coming home. "I got the HIVE kids to trust me enough for them to give me a communicator. I deactivated it, but we can use it to track them down."

"Dude, that's brilliant!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us about this before?"

Cyborg looked down at Beast Boy while the others waited for an answer. The truth was, Cyborg didn't want to mention it because he didn't want the others to know just how deeply he seeped into the HIVE Academy. Yeah, he told Starfire about how he felt welcomed because he trusted Star to talk about these things. But no one else really understood what he went through.

"Never mind that," Cyborg said, "I'll go hook it up right now so that we can trace their signal."

As he turned away he could the eyes of everyone boring into the back of his neck. Well, so what if he kept secrets? Everyone else did.

 **-CK-**

3:39pm

Metropolis

The Daily Planet

"Clark? Clark, are you okay?"

Lois' voice snapped Clark out of his stupor. He turned his head upward to see Lois standing next to him. She looked especially pretty today, with her black hair up in a bun.

"I'm fine, Lois," he replied, smiling at her.

He took her hand off of his shoulder and squeezed it gently. The white computer screen reflected off of his glasses, reminding him just how little he had written today.

"You seem a little out of it today."

There was just so much on his mind. The massive fight between Dick and Bruce left everyone in a melancholy mood. They were supposed to be father and son. The Dynamic Duo! Whenever internal conflict happened among anyone it seemed to affect everyone, especially when it concerned those two. And Dick…Dick needed a father. Clark knew that he couldn't be the one to act as Dick's father. Bruce had to be it.

"There's just a lot of stuff going on right now," he replied, taking off his glasses and wiping his face. "Family issues."

"Are your parents okay?" Lois asked immediately, concern etched in every syllable. "Do you need some time off or—"

"No. Time off is the thing I need the least." He was touched by her concern. "I just…have issues with a…uh…nephew of mine."

He was fond of Lois, but he didn't need to trouble her with his anxiety over the trouble with the Titans and Bruce. Besides, he didn't have the right to share Dick's problems with anyone outside of the Justice League.

"I didn't know you had a nephew," she said.

Before he could explain or come up with a lame excuse Lois left his side. Clark turned his head to watch her go. Who was he kidding—she loved Superman, not Clark Kent. If only she knew the kind of things and people he had to deal with…

His hands hovered over the keyboard. What to write about next?

He was miffed that Bruce hung up on him. Clark understood that Bruce didn't trust him, but this was getting out of hand. Someone needed to slap Bruce back into rationality. Even for Bruce, the man was acting more crazy than usual. Everyone else in the League agreed that something had to be done.

Should he send Barry out to Jump City again? Alfred said that Dick called to Bruce asking for help. Clark wasn't sure if, after this particularly nasty fight, Bruce would keep his promise and fly out to Jump City. It would be too easy for Clark to call the Justice League together. With the combined skills of the Titans and the League they would be sure to solve the mystery in a heartbeat.

"Clark!" Perry shouted. "Where's my article?"

"Sorry, Chief!" Clark called back. "It'll be ready in ten minutes!"

"If you can get it out any sooner the better!"

Clark began to type madly, not even registering what he was writing. He wrote like some zombie, the words mechanically flowing from his fingers as thoughts of Bruce festered at the back of his mind.

It concerned him that Bruce was obsessing over the Joker. Well, at times he had to be obsessed to defeat the Joker, but this was becoming irrational. Everyone had their own problems, of course. Clark had to continually deal with Lex Luthor. There was the Shadow-Thief, Ra's al Ghul, and so many other villains to contend with that it was a wonder anyone had time for anything else.

But somewhere the line had to be drawn.

That was the only way Clark could stay sane. When Clark called Dick he meant it when he said that having a sidekick was the best thing that ever happened to Bruce. Dick was the only person who could make Bruce smile. Having similar origins with the deaths of their parents allowed them to bond together like a true father and son. Clark was worried that their strained relationship was only throwing him into deep oblivion, a place where no one could follow. Sometimes, when Bruce _did_ act like a prick, Clark couldn't help but fear for his friend's sanity. Even if Bruce thought it pretentious when Clark took control of the League, sometimes Clark did it to hold Bruce back.

Surreptitiously, he checked his JLA communicator as Perry turned his head away to shout at someone else. The others failed in their attempts to talk to Bruce. Well, maybe it was time for the Justice League to show up for a little reunion in Wayne Manor tonight. There would be no need to tell Alfred. He would understand. Bruce, maybe not so much. After punching some sense into that thick head of his Clark would take the Justice League and any reserve members who could come to Jump City.

It was time this dust business was done and dealt with.

 **-AP-**

4:02pm

Gotham City

Wayne Manor

With Master Bruce fast asleep, Alfred tried not to make too much noise as he bustled through the manor. Once he came home Bruce collapsed onto his bed and passed out into a deep slumber. After last night's unsuccessful encounter with Clayface Master Bruce needed as much sleep as possible if he really wanted to get this business done with as quickly as possible.

Master Bruce and Master Dick's fight that morning left Alfred in a despondent mood that seemed to last for the entire day. He always acted as the peace maker between them. Yet this fight was different from all of the rest.

He gathered the remains of Bruce's lunch and stacked them onto a tray. All at once he felt proud of Dick for gathering up the courage to talk about that horrible incident and disgusted with Bruce's initial reaction. It just…it just wasn't the right thing to say. And Alfred meant it when he said that Bruce knew better, because Bruce _did_ know better. It baffled him sometimes to believe that Bruce Wayne the billionaire playboy who took actresses on exotic cruises for kicks was the same person as Batman.

Alfred glanced at the kitchen table and saw the Joker's files spread out across the deep mahogany tabletop. At first he thought that Bruce had only grabbed one or two of the Joker's recent files, but it seemed as though Bruce had dumped his whole filing cabinet on the table. Alfred picked up one of the newspaper clippings. It was at least a few years old.

The old British butler shook his head and placed it back down on the table. If only Master Bruce could put this much effort into maintaining his relationship with Dick. At times the man didn't seem to have his priorities straight. He spread his hand upon the files and began to stack them more neatly. As he stacked them he noticed other files hidden amongst the Joker's psychotic face. There were some files on Clayface and Deathstroke the Terminator.

Well, at least Master Bruce seemed to be reconsidering his cold response to Dick's call.

A few minutes ago Clark called him and said that he got a hold of Dick. It was a wonder that the poor boy hadn't had a nervous breakdown yet. Back in the early days of the Titans—before the apprenticeship—Alfred talked to Dick regularly. Whether the kid knew it or not he acted more like Bruce than he realized. Just as Master Bruce always obsessed over the Joker so Master Dick obsessed over Deathstroke. Yet it was an unhealthy obsession—one that eventually turned against him in the cruelest way possible.

As he dusted the shelf above the fireplace he came across several framed photographs. The most recent one—taken just before Dick bailed and moved to Jump City—showed a smiling Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson in identical black suits. If Alfred didn't know the history behind these two, he would have assumed that they were father and son. Both had dark hair and blue eyes. The only thing that would throw anyone off was the age difference. Bruce looked too young to be Dick's father. He _was_ too young to be Dick's father—about mid-thirties.

He sighed and looked at the other pictures on the mantelpiece. A picture of a young Bruce Wayne and his family sat next to a family portrait of the Flying Graysons. There were other pictures, some with Alfred in them. Dick looked so happy. That was all Alfred wanted the boy to be: happy. Dick didn't need to become Robin. Alfred never really approved of this superhero business when Bruce decided to take up the cape and cowl, much less so when Dick donned the Robin costume.

What saddened Alfred was the fact that most of the time Dick and Bruce fought over the little things. First and foremost, however, their disagreement engendered from a little thing called trust. Bruce's personality simply did not allow him to trust everyone while Dick formed attachments much more easily. From personal experience, Alfred could understand why Master Bruce would not completely trust Dick. The boy was still young. He had a lot to learn. But at the same time he could sympathize with Dick. He was young, but he wasn't a child anymore. Master Bruce shouldn't still be treating him like he was still ten.

Even though Alfred wasn't a detective he thought it strange that Bruce was obsessing so much over the Joker. Being the patient man that he was he didn't ask why Bruce thought that the Joker was involved. But now…

Alfred glanced up the flight of stairs, as though he believed that Bruce would come down any moment to go back to the Batcave. Knowing Bruce the way he did, it wouldn't surprise Alfred if Bruce woke himself prematurely just to continue working on this case. Well, whenever Master Bruce _did_ wake up, Alfred would make sure that the man kept himself alive and sane. Alfred walked pat the grandfather clock that was the entrance to the Batcave.

The overwhelming silence of Wayne Manor made the ticking of the grandfather clock sound as loud as war drums.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hey peeps!

So…yes. Okay, so this chapter is a little slow. Lots of internal monologues. Alfred's POV turned out to become _all_ internal monologue. But this is the eye of the hurricane. We need a breather every once in a while. _I_ needed a little breather. Just…yeah. Pounding out 6,000+word chapters a week while in college with a side job isn't the easiest thing in the world. My roomie thinks I'm crazy. I don't know how I feel about this chapter…could be better but at the same time this semi-calm atmosphere is needed.

As for the HIVE communicator, I always thought it was weird that Jinx gave it to Cyborg and then it was never mentioned again. So I put it to use!

And there's so much misunderstanding in this chapter!

AND ALFRED HAS A POV OMG!:D Who doesn't love Alfred?

Reviews are always welcome.


	22. Accusations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Hello ladies. Look at Teen Titans—now back to this fic—now back to Teen Titans and back at this fic again: sadly, I don't own Teen Titans or DC Comics.

**Disclaimer:** Hello ladies. Look at Teen Titans—now back to this fic—now back to Teen Titans and back at this fic again: sadly, I don't own Teen Titans or DC Comics.

 **A/N:** How. Is. It. October. Already? Just…whoa. I've been working on this thing for almost four months. Wow.

* * *

"Arm yourself because no one else here will save you,

The odds will betray you and I will replace you.

You can't deny the prize it may never fulfill you.

It longs to kill you, are you willing to die?

The coldest blood runs through my veins,

You know my name."

-Chris Cornell, "You Know my Name" (Casino Royale theme)

* * *

Chapter 21: Accusations

 **-R-**

3:21pm

Jump City, California

Outskirts

Robin motioned for the other Titans to come quietly forward.

He squinted to look through the glare of the large window looking down into the warehouse where the HIVE kids had taken refuge. He could probably pull a Batman and crash down through the window, but right now Robin didn't want to be reminded of his mentor.

"They're not going to want to talk, you know," Raven remarked quietly.

"It doesn't matter. We have to talk to someone."

Robin wasn't sure if he agreed with Cyborg's theory, but they had to talk to someone just to feign the idea that they were doing something right. The fact that one of the people involved in these attacks was a HIVE graduate was a reason to investigate the HIVE anyway.

Ever since the Titans destroyed the HIVE's old headquarters no one was sure where Brother Blood operated from now. Given the increase in HIVE activity, though, Robin knew that he must be operating from somewhere close by.

"Raven, bring us in." Robin motioned for the others to come closer. "Titans, go!"

Cool air enveloped him as Raven's dark powers covered them all. The plan was to phase silently into the warehouse. Although Robin knew that they were likely to attack them it was still important not to provoke them.

Raven deposited them into the main room, where the three HIVE kids were milling around. Gizmo sat at a desk on a computer, playing some sort of video game. Mammoth was stuffing his face with leftover food from a small refrigerator while Jinx sat at a table looking over some papers. Her mouth dropped open in surprise as the Titans appeared suddenly before them.

"AHHH!" Gizmo exclaimed, falling off of his chair in surprise.

The three HIVE students backed away, obviously surprised by the surprise visit. Jinx raised her communicator to her mouth, but Robin took out a bird-a-rang and flung it towards her. Within seconds the communicator clattered to the floor.

"We don't want to fight. We just want to talk."

The sorceress only narrowed her eyes and flung a spell at him. Using the nimble skills born of his training as an acrobat, Robin dodged it easily as he took out his bo-staff. Well, if they wanted a fight then they would get a fight. He was still in a bad mood from that morning from his fight with Bruce.

It would be a great way to release his pent-up anger.

"Ugh, why are _you_ here, traitor?" Jinx snarled at Cyborg.

Jinx sprung out of Robin's way and charged towards Cyborg. The two began to fight with the ferocity of sparring bucks. Robin found himself battling with Mammoth (who admittedly could fight but had no brains to back up his brawn) with Starfire.

Perhaps it was the fact that everyone was on the edge that made the Titans act quickly and efficiently. Within two minutes the fight was over. As Cyborg punched a nearly unconscious Mammoth into the other two students Raven immediately held them captive with her dark energy. The three HIVE students struggled against Raven's powers as Robin stepped forward.

"We're not going to arrest you," Robin said, "even though that's less than you deserve."

Just like that morning with Mark Wolfman, Robin felt as though he didn't have time for these losers. They were of the same stock as Wolfman: HIVE graduates, young kids, stupid judgment…

"Hmp," Mammoth said, "and what about tin man over there?"

Jinx spat in Cyborg's direction. "We're not talking to that traitor."

"Fine. I'll be doing the talking, then. All we want is information."

"Yeah? And what if we don't talk, snotbrain?" Gizmo sneered.

The eyeholes of Robin's mask narrowed as he looked down at the kid. Gizmo always annoyed him. His quips weren't even that smart. How ironic, given how good the kid was with electronics. Like always, Gizmo's childish threats simply bounced off of him. Robin puffed out his chest and growled in his best imitation of Bruce's harsh voice.

"Or else my mentor's going to stop by and give you a real smack-down."

It was a lie, of course. Bruce wasn't going to come. He was nowhere near Jump City. But Gizmo didn't need to know that. None of them did.

"You're lying," Gizmo replied automatically, although he sounded unsure of himself. "The Bat's not coming to Jump!"

"You wanna bet?" Robin asked, bending down to snarl in Gizmo's face. "Flash stopped by to kick your butts. What's to stop Batman from coming?"

Even Mammoth looked uneasy at the prospect of fighting Batman. Well, who wouldn't be? Even Robin sometimes felt afraid of Batman, but in a lot more ways than everyone else. He wasn't afraid of being beaten to a pulp. He was afraid of Batman losing respect for him. He was afraid of being rejected like he had been that morning. The others shot him curious glances, but said nothing. After glaring at her teammates Jinx spoke in a defeated voice.

"What do you want from us?"

That was more like it.

"You worked for Slade."

As he expected, confusion fluttered across their faces. Everyone was confused whenever he brought up the subject.

"That creep hired us to defeat you…" Jinx said.

"But isn't he dead?" Mammoth asked. "I thought you guys killed him."

" _Terra_ killed him," Beast Boy cut-in.

Robin held out a hand to Beast Boy, signaling him not to speak any further about Terra. The changeling shot a glare towards Robin, but held his tongue. Even though Robin knew that he was emotionally vulnerable himself, he couldn't afford to have everyone flip out.

"What do you want to know?" Jinx asked.

"Your previous Headmistress," Robin said, flinging a picture towards her, "she was the one who arranged for you to work for Slade."

Jinx caught it and looked at the picture.

"So?"

Robin's mouth thinned. Cyborg mentioned that Brother Blood controlled people…which was how Blood probably usurped the Headmistress. Suddenly Robin was aware that if these kids were still under Brother Blood's control, then it was likely that everything they said would be conveyed to Blood almost instantly. He had to be careful about what he said.

"How did Slade contact you?" Cyborg cut-in.

"We're one of the HIVE's top graduates," Jinx said, her voice almost a sneer. "All of the top villains around wanted to hire us."

"So why Slade?" Robin demanded.

"He was the biggest villain around. I mean, who hasn't heard of Deathstroke in the criminal underground? No one messed with him. No one refused to acquiesce to his requests."

"Refused to acqeeze what?" Mammoth asked, thoroughly confused.

"Acquiesce, you dolt," Jinx snapped. "That means he was so bad no one dared to refuse his requests."

Gizmo said nothing as he glowered to the side. That little snot-ball wasn't going to talk and Robin knew it.

"He was an assassin. A good one too," Robin mused.

"Wait, Slade was an assassin?" Beast Boy piped up.

"A mercenary, to be exact." Robin found himself smiling. "He could have taken out the HIVE headmistress without much effort."

He allowed the others to trail into silence. The others wouldn't dare talk about his time with Slade in front of the HIVE kids. But yes, Slade tried so hard to train Robin into an assassin. That was why the man was so cold. Deathstroke was a hitman's name. Slade…well, the name Slade held a more debonair connotation.

"Yeah…well…that's why Brother Blood took over," Mammoth said. "Headmistress was failing."

"What happened after you failed to defeat us?" Robin asked.

"Why do you keep talking to this snot-brain birdie?" Gizmo snapped. "And why do _you_ keep talking about Slade?"

Anger surged within him again, although Robin didn't want to give another lecture about Gotham all over again. It would be wasted on these guys. The only thing he could count on was the fact that _he_ had—even for the briefest time—become a villain. Even the other criminal masterminds knew nothing about him and his brief employment with a madman. Unlike the others—even Cyborg (who went to their friggin' school)—Robin understood things better now from a villain's perspective.

"Because he screws _everyone_ over, so long as he gets paid well." Some of his anger deflated. It wasn't the kid's fault that he inadvertently helped Slade blackmail Robin. "And even though he's dead someone may have stolen information about us after he died. But you don't have to know why we're after the information, so why don't you just answer my question?"

If anything, Robin's little monologue simply confused the HIVE kids even more. Now that Gizmo pointed out the fact that Robin talked constantly about Slade Mammoth and Jinx gave Robin odd looks too. But they were in no position to argue.

"Headmistress punished us for failing," Mammoth grunted.

"You see?" Cyborg said. "That's why you shouldn't be in with the villains."

"Oh shut up, Stone," Jinx snapped. "You're a hypocrite. At least I wouldn't turn my back on my friends."

 _Oh yes you would,_ Robin thought. That's what villains did all the time. Pity Jinx had such a good moral code. The superhero community could really use someone like her.

"Did Slade ever contact the HIVE again?" Robin asked.

"Not that we know of."

Even if Brother Blood contacted Slade or vice versa, it was still an unlikely possibility. Both men strived for power, but in two different ways. With Brother Blood being so open about his plans to take over the world it was unlikely that he would trust someone as sneaky as Slade.

"And what about Brother Blood?" Robin asked.

"We don't know what the Headmaster is planning or what he's been doing since taking over," Jinx said. "And I'm sure he doesn't want you to know."

Robin stood over them with his arms crossed over his chest. He couldn't be sure whether Brother Blood was behind this or not, but the evidence here neither suggested nor denied the claim that Blood triggered the dust. With Blood controlling so many people it was likely that he could be behind this. In lieu of Robin's silence Cyborg took charge.

"Tell Brother Blood," Cyborg said, "that Stone wants to know what he's up to."

Suddenly, expressions of anxiety crossed their faces. Raven let them go and they broke apart. Robin knew that expression. They were the expressions of those who had to submit to a higher, crueler authority.

Jinx shuddered. "Blood is going to beat us for talking to you."

Although Robin knew that he should feel pity, he simply couldn't. Just like most people they had a choice. These kids chose the life of villainy for the thrills and perks. There were so many people in the world who didn't have a choice in their life. Every day people died in wars they didn't approve of. Sure, a lot of them probably had unpleasant childhoods like he had. But the majority of the kids at the HIVE Academy never grew up in the dark allyways of Crime Ally.

At least in this country people had the freedom of choice. Being with Slade made Robin realize just how good Bruce was. Being Slade's apprentice made him more aware of the choices he made and the choices he would make. If they wanted to ally themselves with a master who would hurt them and verbally abuse them for failure then that was their fault.

So they had nothing to complain about.

"Then I suggest that you join the right side," Robin said, shooting his grapple hook towards the ceiling so that he could leave through the window. "At least you have a choice in the matter."

 **-BW-**

6:56pm

Gotham City

Batcave

Bats flew above him as they roused themselves from their daytime slumber, their leathery wings echoing in the empty caverns of the Batcave. In a few short minutes the sun would set below the horizon and bring Gotham City into civil twilight. Another half hour after that the light dregs of sunlight would fade into the velvety blackness of the night. That would be the time that Batman began to go on the prowl for Clayface.

He awoke ten minutes ago from his four-hour nap, which did him some good after staying up all night. His crystal blue eyes stared at the computer screen as his mind buzzed with theories. One of the three computer screens was tuned into the evening news. There was so much on his mind tonight.

Bruce didn't bother turning his head as Alfred entered the Batcave, holding a tray laden with dinner and a cup of strong coffee.

"Thanks, Alfred."

"Master Bruce, have you considered what I said this morning?"

"Um…" Bruce mumbled, sipping his coffee. "Not particularly."

He knew what Alfred wanted to talk about. As he told the butler that afternoon, it wasn't as if Bruce didn't want to talk about Dick. He wanted to. Bruce also couldn't deny that he had duties aside from being Batman. But because of that thin line between hero and civilian Bruce felt it more important to deal with Clayface. Dick would understand.

"Perhaps you should consider calling for backup," Alfred said, "so that you may attend to the Titans."

Call for backup? Bruce didn't need backup, especially not the kind that Alfred was suggesting. The League was already bothering him enough as it was. And Barbara shouldn't get involved with Clayface. Unlike Dick, Barbara was not Bruce's ward and had limitations on what he could teach her without raising Jim's suspicions. Since Dick lived with him, Bruce had all the time in the world to train him. Babs was talented, yes, but Bruce wasn't at the end of his rope just yet. He could do this without her help.

"It's going to get done tonight."

"Sir, that's what you said three weeks ago."

"I know for sure, Alfred. Tonight Clayface has to meet up with one of Black Mask's men. Quinn is too scared to come to Gotham himself…so Clayface is posing for him again."

"How do you know?"

"Tonight is the night Quinn is supposed to sell to some guys from Metropolis. Black Mask is paying Clayface too much for him to back out of this one. They're going to meet somewhere in Crime Ally."

"You sound unsure, Sir."

Of course he did. That's what made Bruce so edgy in the first place. He hated the fact that he didn't know what the hell was going on anywhere. That's why he was going to go out and find out. Only when he personally put Clayface behind bars, checked into Arkham, and flew out to California to see Dick would Bruce's mind be at ease.

"What with all of this _drama_ going on in Jump City, I haven't been able to keep my mind on Clayface."

"This 'drama' isn't Dick's fault," Alfred said, his tone testy. "Master Bruce, you have been acting rather odd lately."

"I'm sorry, Alfred. I'm just frustrated, that's all."

 _And worried that the Joker is involved in this mess,_ he thought. Bruce sipped his coffee to stop himself from saying more. Like Robin and the rest of the League he tried to figure out which villain was stupid enough to mess with the Titans. Since Robin was the first victim, Bruce had good reason to believe that someone was messing with Dick to get to Bruce. He mentioned that once to Dick, but the kid didn't think that was the case since the other Titans got attacked as well.

He had to see the Joker.

Bruce slipped off his bathrobe and headed towards the other side of the Batcave, where his uniform awaited. He often found that he worked better on cases like these while in the cape and cowl. It helped him differentiate between Bruce Wayne and Batman.

"At least call Miss Gordon," Alfred said, "you cannot do everything alone."

Bruce pulled the cowl over his head and looked down at Alfred. As much as Bruce was a mentor to Dick, so Alfred was a mentor to him. As usual Alfred was right (it irritated Bruce that he still hadn't apprehended Clayface), but sometimes he worried too much.

Everyone accused him of acting like the lone vigilante. The papers. The police. They accused him of being a nutcase. But what a lot of people didn't know was that Batman had a strict code of rules that he followed. Sure, he could act like a complete nutcase, but sometimes that was the only way he could deal with nutcases armed with acid and machine guns.

"I've beaten Clayface before," he said, "and I can certainly do it again."

Before Alfred could say another word Batman leapt into the Batmobile. While he considered Alfred's advice valuable, he just couldn't afford to take his time with anything now. Yes, his business with Dick was urgent, but he had to quench that insatiable curiosity about the Joker. His hands gripped the wheel tightly as he pushed down on the gas pedal.

The Joker? No, he had to go after Clayface first. Batman shook his head. Clayface…or the Joker…or Dick. The Batmobile shot out of the Batcave and into the twilight. A few straggling Bats flew out with him, their dark forms scintillating against the red-and-purple sky. As Batman came to a fork in the road he found himself at a standstill. Should he go one way to Arkham Asylum or the other way towards Gotham?

Even with the sun still peeking over the horizon it was dark enough for the Bat-signal to be seen against the clouds. The Batmobile came closer and closer to the fork in the road. He had to make a decision. Conflicting issues and theories raged inside of his mind as Batman made a decision. Even as he twitched the steering wheel towards his destination he had some second doubts. How could he be sure that he was making the right decision?

He thought about this as he drove off into the gathering darkness.

 **-BB-**

5:49pm

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

The tension in the Tower was almost palpable.

In the whole day they had achieved nothing. At least with Starfire they had a hint about what was going to happen…but not with Raven. The empath did not seem to care, although like everyone else she put in as much effort as she could to locating the perpetrator.

If anything, this whole business with the dust pissed everybody off.

Beast Boy slinked through the Tower with his hands deep in his pocket. Despite his high hopes that they would solve this mystery, he knew that if something good didn't happen soon then someone was going to snap.

A few days ago, when Wolfman vandalized Terra's tomb, Beast Boy felt sure that he was going to snap himself. It was surprising that no one had had a mental breakdown yet. Like everyone else, Beast Boy hated all of this uncertainty. It only made the things Steve said about the Titans true: that they were amateurs who couldn't do their job right.

As the other Titans worked Beast Boy once again found himself without a job to do. That bothered him. So, he went into Cyborg's room. Cyborg was on his computer, working diligently on some project.

"Hey Cy, what's that?" Beast Boy asked.

"My dad just sent me updated anti-malware software from S.T.A.R Labs," he said, still not looking at Beast Boy. "I told him about what happened last night."

Cyborg…had a dad? Beast Boy opened his mouth as though to say something, but then thought better of it. No one on the team really talked about their past or their families—except maybe Starfire, but that was more along the lines of sharing her crazy Tamaranean culture.

"What did he say?"

"He's glad that I'm safe."

"Well, that's good."

"Yeah," Cyborg said, his eyes drifting away from the computer. "Better than Batman's talkdown, I'm sure."

Batman seemed to be on everyone's mind. It seemed as though whatever affected Robin affected everyone else on the team. His bad mood seemed to be spreading among them like a creeping cancer.

"I wonder what Batman's problem is," Beast Boy said.

"We all do. I want to know, but I don't think it would be a good idea to get involved. The only thing I'm annoyed about is how much Robin complains about the guy."

Now that Cyborg said it, Beast Boy realized that that bothered him too. Usually, Robin never mentioned Batman, but when he did it was always a tirade about the guy.

Cyborg logged off of his computer and placed his head in his hands. Beast Boy said nothing as he watched his friend sigh heavily. At least Beast Boy wasn't attacked so personally. The closest he had ever come was that time he—like the other Titans—was infected with the nanoscopic probes.

"You know," Cyborg mused, "I was so sure that the perpetrator would attack my dad…or the handicapped kids…or even my high school football team."

"You played football?"

Standing up, Cyborg went over to his dresser and picked up a baseball. "I played a lot of sports in high school. Baseball…football…I liked playing football the best. I was built for it."

"You still are."

"Nah…it was just a dream…becoming a professional football or baseball player." Cyborg set the baseball back down on its stand. "I'm a Titan now. And although I sometimes wish that I could still be normal I'm glad I met you and everyone else."

Beast Boy smiled, but inside he felt a little sympathy for his friend. To have your dreams crushed like that because of a single accident must have crushed his self-esteem.

The door to Cyborg's room slid open. Raven poked her head inside of the room and gestured for them to follow her.

"Team meeting," Raven said.

Beast Boy groaned. Another team meeting? He knew that they were important, but he felt like they were wasting time. He, Raven, and Cyborg went to the common room where the other two were waiting for them. This time no one waited for a lengthy preamble. Cyborg went right into his theories about the perpetrator.

"Look, I think it's Brother Blood. Call me crazy if you will, but it has to be Blood. He's not stupid. Slade worked with the Headmistress, right? Of course she would contact information about him and stuff. Blood might have usurped the Headmistress and stole all of her information."

"The only problem with your theory is that there's no evidence to prove it," Robin said.

"How can we be sure about anything?"

Cyborg looked miffed. If anything, the Boy Wonder was too clouded by his personal feelings to properly use the detective skills Batman taught him. After the events of the last few days Beast Boy couldn't be sure if he trusted Robin's detective skills anymore.

"I still think one of the Bat-villains is behind this," Robin said. "Brother Blood is a cult leader, not a chess master. We should investigate him further before we-"

 _"You just want to believe what you want to believe!"_ Cyborg snapped.

 _Oh no,_ Beast Boy thought, _not again._

He knew even before Robin opened his mouth that another fight was brewing. Why couldn't any of them get along? Beast Boy knew that in the end they would come back together and act like friends, but this was getting out of hand. There was no reason for anyone to act like a jerk.

"You know what? It's not my fault that Batman's been acting like a prick, all right?"

"Robin, you keep complaining about Batman, but he has nothing to do with the dust!"

 _"I know that!"_ Flush crept up the side of Robin's neck as he fumed. "I'm just sick of him right now, and the dust only reopened those wounds. It pisses me off that _I_ can't solve this mystery."

Something snapped within Beast Boy. Having to hear Robin complain was one thing, but having him act like he was the only one in the group who had issues was something completely different.

 _"Hey!"_ Beast Boy butted-in. "You're not the only one with problems, man!"

Why was everything centered around Robin? Everyone else who got attacked was hurt just as much as he had been.

Everything that happened next became a blur. Soon everyone was in on the conversation, their voices blending together in a cacophony of angry shouts and insults. Even Starfire, who normally tried to act as a peacemaker came into the conversation. From what Beast Boy could tell she was angry that they were fighting again. He found himself yelling hoarsely at the others, especially at Robin and Cyborg. They yelled and screamed at each other for so long that he later couldn't remember what they had been fighting about.

The only one who wasn't involved was, of course, Raven. She stood a little ways away, rubbing her aching temple as her eye twitched. Oh, Beast Boy knew that she must be mad too, but she hadn't been attacked yet.

 _"Stop fighting!"_ Raven snapped.

What to do? What to do? Everything seemed to fall apart around them as they argued and argued about what to do next. He supposed that Robin had the right idea by calling Batman. No one here knew what was going on. They needed outside help, although now Batman wasn't going to come. The Doom Patrol wouldn't come. Not even the Tamaranean troops would come to help.

Everyone wanted to do something different. Everyone had their own problems and no one trusted one another enough to talk their problems out like civilized people. When the Titans formed everyone agreed to the fact that they wouldn't tell each other their personal history. Now, thanks to whoever triggered the dust, it was eating them from the inside out like a corrosive acid.

"Good evening, Titans."

Everyone stopped shouting to look at the speaker. Superman's face appeared on the giant television screen in the common room. From what Beast Boy could tell Superman was calling from the JLA Watchtower. He suppressed a fanboyish squeal as Superman looked around the room. Robin's face was beet-red. Beast Boy could almost hear Robin's thoughts whirl through his head. How long did Superman watch?

"Superman," Robin said immediately, "uh…why are you…we were just…"

"It looks like I called at a bad time, but I have to talk to all of you."

Beast Boy didn't like Superman's tone. It wasn't exactly patronizing, but he sounded genuinely concerned. Quite a contrast to the Dark Knight's gruff lectures. Robin strode towards the screen while the others simply looked at Superman without speaking. Here was a giant even bigger than Batman, the Man of Steel who protected the sprawling city of Metropolis. It was only natural that Robin should talk to the man.

"It doesn't matter. What's happened?"

"Yesterday I came up with a theory that the attacks on you may be the beginning of attacks on all of us."

"You mean…an attack on the League?"

"Yes. Batman and I agreed that someone may have stolen information from Deathstroke's lair after his death. Since he knew your identity that puts almost all of our identities at risk."

Robin's face fell slightly. Beast Boy knew that Robin beat himself up every day for allowing himself to fall into Slade's clutches. He had no idea what it would be like to have everyone—not just the Titans—at risk.

"Slade never mentioned that he knew your secret identity," Robin said in a low voice. "And he never asked me or…."

He trailed off. His silence spoke more than words. Come to think of it, Beast Boy realized that Robin never said _how_ Slade knew his secret identity. Robin never said that Slade knew beforehand or if he made Robin tell him or…or if Slade tortured it out of him. Beast Boy's ears drooped at the thought. What if…what if in that video message Slade so kindly left on the main computer was footage of Slade torturing Robin to find out his identity?

It was a scary thought.

"We all know that he knew Batman's identity," Superman said, "and that fact alone is enough to incriminate us all. Let's just assume that he did know, Robin."

"Then…if your theory is true, then we'll have to figure out who would be attacked first."

An attack on the Justice League. It was unthinkable. Not impossible, though. Villains attacked the League all of the time…but never before had anyone thought of attacking the Titans or any previous sidekick before to get to the League.

"Like I said, Robin, it's just a theory. The most important thing for us to do now is to make sure that your team is safe."

Robin leaned against the counter and looked up at Superman. Just like Beast Boy had to deal with the Doom Patrol, Robin had to submit to a higher authority: Batman and the League. But unlike Batman, Superman treated Robin with more respect to him and to the Titans.

"I know you only want advice, but we know you asked Batman for help."

"Everyone knows now."

"Look, just give us a heads up on what's going on over there."

"All we know is that the signal that triggered the mask came from outside Titans Tower," Cyborg said. "But since it was stolen, how can you help us?"

"We're coming to Jump City. As many of us as we can spare."

A surge of hope enveloped Beast Boy at the sound of this. With the Justice League's help there was no way anyone else could be attacked. The perpetrator wouldn't dare…especially not with the Man of Steel around. And Beast Boy would also fulfill his lifelong dream of meeting Superman—possibly the other JLA members as well.

"When are you coming?" Robin asked.

"Late tonight."

"Have you told…is…Batman coming with you?" Robin asked.

Superman looked at Robin steadily. It wasn't exactly a pitying expression, but more of a sorrowful one. The last time Superman called Robin left the room, supposedly to have a private conversation with him. Why didn't Robin trust them enough to talk to Superman in front of them?

"We're going to talk to him before coming out to Jump. He acted out of line and shouldn't have talked down to you like that."

"Yeah…well…he sort of talks to everyone like that." Robin sounded bitter. "And I'd _love_ to hear his excuse for being a prick."

For some reason, Beast Boy felt as though he was glimpsing into the inner workings of a tightly-knit family. Long before Robin formed the Titans he lived and worked with Batman and the rest of the Justice League. Of course, Robin never mentioned that he knew Superman personally. It was just…Beast Boy hoped that one day Robin would trust him and the other Titans enough for them to join this larger family of superheroes.

"We know. We're going to talk to him about it. Everything will be fine. Just…try to stay safe. All of you."

"Thanks, Superman. Call me before you come."

"Will do."

As soon as Superman's face disappeared from the screen Robin turned his back to them all. Silently, he began to walk out of the room and down the hallway.

"Dude, where are you going?" Beast Boy asked.

He better not be doing what Beast Boy thought he was going to do. The last thing that guy needed to do was lock himself in his room and swamp himself with work. The Boy Wonder paused and turned around to face them.

"It's just…I can't just wait for Superman and the others to come. I need to do something."

"You don't need to do anything," Cyborg said.

"You know what? The only reason they're coming is because I couldn't do anything. _We_ couldn't do anything."

"So you're going to beat yourself up…again," Raven said.

"No…I…" Robin trailed off. "I'm really tired. I had a bad day. I need some sleep if we're going to work through the night with the League."

Without another word Robin disappeared down the hallway. The other Titans watched him go, as though wondering whether he would actually follow up on his words. Only after watching the light go off through the cracks in his bedroom door did everyone calm down.

Everyone had had a rough week. While Beast Boy had to admit that Robin was probably more worn emotionally thin than the others (and for good reason) everyone else was too. Perhaps it was because Beast Boy himself wasn't used to being the target of the villains' attacks. Robin was probably used to it by now, having worked with Batman and all that jazz.

"You know," Raven said, "that's the most sensible thing I've heard him say all week."

* * *

 **A/N:**

I LOVE the theme song from the James Bond film "Casino Royale." I don't need an excuse to quote it because it's just pure awesome, and especially concerning the next few chapters ahead… well…my thoughts on the next chapter: SKDLKSLKDAJDFKSLK

It's cryptic. Like my philosophy textbook. Go back and find some hinty-hints in previous chapters while waiting for the next chapter.

Spice up my test/essay filled-week with reviews. They make me happy.


	23. Blackout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Well, I wish I could say otherwise, but unfortunately I do not own Teen Titans.

**Disclaimer:** Well, I wish I could say otherwise, but unfortunately I do not own Teen Titans.

 **A/N** : Ah yes… _this_ chapter. I have been waiting a while to post this. I hope you all enjoy this.

In other news, I have a new laptop! Praise the Lord! For real, guys, I just went from windows XP to windows 7. That's a HUGE jump. So now I have a faster laptop and I can write more fanfiction faster! That doesn't mean I'll post early though. And I just watched The Dark Knight again, so I felt compelled to quote a little for this chapter.

Oh yeah, and my friends and I (20 people) launched a massive nerf gun assault on a freshmen dorm full of preview students last night. Complete with battle cries, an inspirational speech, a recon team, and a tactical plan. As we left for the rendevous point afterwards we overheard preview students saying they want to come to our school. SUCCESS. Just thought I'd tell you guys that. :)

* * *

"And here…we… _go."_

-The Joker, The Dark Knight

* * *

Chapter 22: Blackout

 **-C-**

7:50pm

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

The Justice League was coming.

That fact alone put Cyborg out of his despondent mood. With the JLA's help the Titans might just be able to solve this damn mystery. Just like a good mystery novel, Cyborg couldn't stand the suspense. Unlike a good mystery novel, the suspense might actually kill him and the others if they couldn't figure this out.

He could understand Robin's frustration with himself and the Justice League. Not being able to solve or do anything by yourself always made Cyborg grumpy. Back in the days when he was an athlete, the coach always talked him down whenever he failed to do something. Having someone else do the work made him feel like a child again.

Or just weak.

Cyborg shook his head. No, Robin wasn't weak. None of them were. From what Cyborg could tell, all of the Titans had gone through something traumatic and survived. They were far from weak. In times like these it was wiser to ask for help than to deny it.

"Hey BB, could you hand me that file?" Cyborg asked, pointing to a folder.

Stifling a yawn, Beast Boy handed it to him. While everyone else was recuperating from that huge fight that escalated a few hours ago Cyborg felt it prudent to keep working. Even with Slade's mask and dust samples gone he could still do other things. Right now he was using the main computer to configure the location of the signal that triggered the reagent. Although he didn't have the mask to help pinpoint the source of the incoming signal Cyborg could still track it, since he already knew which frequency it was on. He had tried doing this before, since the wavelength was recorded on the computer, but every time he tried to pinpoint a location it came from somewhere else in the city. For the past week he had been monitoring the signal, which was weak until now. At first it didn't bother him much, since Robin showed no sign of being under the influence of the dust.

Intrigued, Cyborg acessed the computer's history. He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin as he stared at the data. From what he could tell it looked as though the signal was weak until last night. The signal began pulsating strongely at about nine o'clock last night. What could that mean?

"It seems as though someone is still sending out the signal," Cyborg said, "I haven't been able to pick up the signal again until now."

"What does that mean?" Beast Boy asked.

"Whoever triggered the dust is still out there and sending out the signal again. It doesn't make sense, though, since someone—I'm thinking the perpetrator himself—stole Slade's mask. Why would he be sending out signals again?"

"To taunt us," Raven said, her voice monotonous. "The perpetrator must know that we're monitoring these frequencies."

Grunting in frustration, Cyborg turned his attention back to the flashing spots on the screen representing all of the possible locations the signal could be coming from. While Cyborg thought himself pretty good with technology he knew that there were others better than him. His father, for example, could probably help with this. But Cyborg didn't want to drag his father into any of this. There was nothing to do but wait for the Justice League to come and sort this mess out.

He wondered vaguely what the League would decide to do first. If Batman was coming along, would the man decide to apologize to Robin first? Maybe and…maybe not. Although Cyborg knew how important it was for Robin to hear Batman's apology, all of them knew that that wasn't the most important thing to do now. Before anyone could do anything they would have to solve the mystery of the dust.

Despite the argument that took place, Cyborg stubbornly stuck to his theory that Brother Blood was behind all of this. He just couldn't let it go. Yes, he supposed that he was acting like Robin, but at least he had a rational reason for believing that Brother Blood was behind this. Well, Robin didn't actually believe that Slade was behind this, but he still couldn't let that go either.

His musings were interrupted by a soft bleeping noise. He turned his head back up to look at the screen.

Someone was calling Titans Tower.

"This is the JCPD calling Titans Tower."

The four Titans crowded around the television screen. A youngish police officer stood in front of the webcam, looking just as tired as they all felt. With Robin fast asleep Cyborg stepped up to assume the role of team leader.

"What's up, Lieutenant?" Cyborg asked.

The lieutenant's eyes scanned the group. "Is Robin around?"

"You can talk to us."

Cyborg could tell that the lieutenant looked uncomfortable talking to them. Well, who wouldn't be? This guy looked new to the JCPD and probably wasn't yet used to dealing with superpowered freaks. Cyborg could tell from the way the guy fidgeted.

"How important is this?" Raven asked.

"Very important," the officer replied. "We know that you're dealing with a hard case and that you'd rather not be disturbed, but Johnson wants to speak with Robin."

The Titans exchanged nervous glances.

"Raven, can you go wake up Robin?" Cyborg asked.

At once Cyborg realized that he should have asked Starfire to do it, but the Tamaranean did not seem perturbed by this. She looked wrapped up in her own thoughts and wasn't even paying much attention to the screen. Raven said nothing as she nodded and turned to go wake up their leader.

 **-Rae-**

8:02pm

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

Robin really was asleep. He lay curled in a slight ball on top of his bedcovers, using his cape as a blanket. She didn't like the fact that she had been chosen to wake him up. The kid really needed some sleep, especially since he had had a bad day. Raven bent down and shook his shoulder.

"Robin, the Chief of Police just called."

He woke with a start.

A flood of brief memories washed over Raven as he came back to consciousness. She saw images of the billionaire Bruce Wayne, a smiling Batgirl and an old man, and many others she did not recognize. Angry voices echoed in her ears.

 _"He didn't torture our identities out of me, he just knew!"_

 _"Maybe Slade was right!" Robin's voice screamed."Maybe you don't care about me!"_

She could feel the pain inside her chest as Batman—unmasked in her mind—said unkind things to Robin. Anger swelled within her as Robin struggled to deal with Batman's coarse reaction to his troubles. The very last image was of Slade's metal face taunting him…and his nightmares. Robin sat up, his hands gripping the bedcovers in tight fists. Sweat poured down his face and plastered his ungelled hair to his forehead. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he turned his head to look at her.

"What?" he asked, his tone breathy.

Raven almost forgot to answer. Just watching him wake up like that made her uneasy. In those few brief moments he looked so vulnerable, like a child frightened of the monsters underneath his bed. Once he realized who was speaking to him he began to calm down a little.

"The JCPD just called," Raven said, "and they want to talk to you."

He breathed heavily for a few moments as he calmed down. She could sense his shimmering thoughts whirling in his sleepy mind. They whispered to her, calling out for her to listen to his troubles and woes. She shook her head. Ever since she went into his mind to help him in his dust-induced state it became easier for her to access his mind. Raven didn't want that. She respected his private thoughts and felt no desire to butt in on his problems. Well, unless they interfered with Titan work.

"Okay…okay…" he said, although he sounded like he was reassuring himself more than acknowledging what she said. "I'm coming…"

She waited for him in the doorway. Robin lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes, as though trying to regain his composure. What was troubling his dreams? His nightmares? She placed a hand on the frame of the doorway and listened to his anguished thoughts. While the JCPD sounded as if the apocalypse would come upon them all, she knew that whatever it was could wait.

Only because this couldn't wait any longer.

"Robin," she said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Are you sure there isn't anything you want to talk about?"

She felt him tense. He turned his head to look at her, the expression on his face that of utter anguish. Raven supposed that she should be talking to the others about their problems as well, but she was just drawn to him because of the mental bond they shared. Never once since the incident with the dust had Robin ever asked about her past.

"Why?"

"Everything about your past with Slade has been leaked out to us because of whoever triggered the dust. Robin, whoever is doing this to us counted on the fact that you _would_ keep your experiences to yourself."

 _Bottled up,_ she thought, _and ready to explode like bubbling champagne._

She allowed her words to sink in. Robin pushed himself to a sitting position and ran a hand through his hair. After glancing down the hallway Raven stepped back into the bedroom and walked up to him.

"What do you see?" He asked quietly.

He took her hands and held them tightly, as though afraid that he would lose her to whatever horror the perpetrator had planned for her. His tone suggested that he already knew the answer, but Raven answered his question anyway.

"Your memories."

"You know who I am, don't you?"

He didn't sound angry about it. Just…down. It was as if he expected her to know.

"I know enough to guess."

She knew that he valued his secret identity more than anything else. Well, almost more than anything else. Raven knew that it must have taken a great deal of courage for him to give up his secret identity for the lives of his friends. With so many other lives at stake aside from the Titans, Robin knew that he must have been taking a huge risk revealing his secret identity and that of his mentor. Well...actually, he didn't have a choice.

"I suppose it's unfair to keep my secret identity a secret from you guys," he said, lifting a hand to his mask. "Slade knew my identity…you should too…"

She stopped his hand. "If you don't want to tell us your name then you don't have to."

A pained expression crossed his face. Raven knew what it was like to keep secrets. As his friend Raven respected his past and his secrets. Yet she could sense his desire to reveal his secret identity. While Raven knew that one day she would know, she knew that today wasn't the best day to do it. He let his hand fall to his side.

"It just…doesn't seem fair…"

He strode towards the window and leaned on the windowsill. Even though he talked a little bit with the team about his problems with Batman Raven didn't feel annoyed about his Batman rants. She felt concerned.

"What doesn't seem fair?"

"That Slade—our worst enemy—knew my secret identity." He looked back at her. "And it's not fair that Br—Batman has been acting the way he's been acting. You know, just before Batman started yelling at me I confessed that Slade tried to make me think of him as a father." He placed his hands on his chest. "Batman isn't my biological father, but he's the closest thing I have to one."

As soon as the words escaped his lips he looked surprised at the confession. Raven said nothing. Slowly, the pieces were falling together like an intricate jigsaw puzzle. This was just classic Robin: no one would know what was bothering him until he allowed bits and pieces of his anxieties to fall from him. If anything, Raven felt that it was unfair for her to delve so deeply into his mind while he knew nothing about her past.

"Robin, I also have issues with my father."

That was the only thing she could offer him. Robin shut his eyes for a moment before looking at her.

"Raven, I'm practically _drowning._ You can feel people's emotions, right? Explain to me why Batman's been acting this way."

To her surprise, Robin's tone sounded desperate. She could feel his anxious and lonely emotions reaching out to her. He felt anger, yes, but above all else she sensed his utter confusion and hurt over Batman's words. When Starfire took him out for a late-night flight she did wonders for him—something Raven knew she could never do herself.

"Unlike my father, Robin, yours does care about you."

 _"He's not acting like himself!"_

His voice nearly cracked as he said this. Although she didn't want to see them, brief memories played in her mind as Robin reminiscence. Instead of disturbing memories they were happy memories of Robin's childhood with the billionaire Bruce Wayne, his legal guardian. He longed for the days he could simply talk to Wayne without exchanging harsh words. He longed for his deceased mother and father, the people who taught him how to fly. But above all he longed for a day when he could step out into the world and never be worried again about the threat of crime. A day when children would not have to have their parents murdered by greedy criminals or be afraid of being hurt by the big bads.

The thing was, both of them knew that that day would never come.

"He's been acting more like…more like…" he forced the words out. "Slade."

Is that what was bothering him? Of course, Raven suspected more, but she felt like she was just beginning to probe into the root of his problems. Although she wanted to help him, she knew that she couldn't help him solve all of his problems before the Justice League came to help.

"You need to talk about it with us and with Batman."

It was the most sensible thing for him to do. Robin needed to talk to his mentor (she suspected that it was the root of all of his problems) without the privacy of a webcam. They needed to talk their problems out with people watching. Both men, it seemed, kept their problems inward until the pressure inside built up to a dangerous level. Then at a random moment they exploded like an overheated tea kettle.

"I…this isn't the right time." Robin broke away. "I need to talk to Johnson."

"Robin," she said, her voice firm, "whatever the Chief of Police is asking you to do…you don't have to say yes."

Robin's eyes widened slightly at her words, as though it was a novel thought to _not_ go after every single criminal out there. What he really needed to do was relax. That's what some villains counted on: that the heroes would go out and protect everything and everyone threatened by some malicious plot to bomb the city.

He brushed past her without saying a word. As he did so more memories flashed by her, mentally jarring her as she visibly recoiled. Grunting, Raven put a hand to her throbbing head as screams and maniacal laughter filled her ears. Robin hadn't noticed a thing.

It was as though he told her without words why he was going to agree to help the JCPD. The kind of crime he grew up around—the kind of crime that caused strife in his life—simply ingrained a sense of vigilante justice within him that no one could overthrow.

Not even Slade.

"Took you long enough," Cyborg said.

Robin shot him a glare as he approached the large television screen. Raven rolled her eyes. Was that comment really necessary? Al though she could normally handle their roommate antics Raven knew that this wasn't the right time to poke each other's nerves.

"There you are, Robin," the lieutenant said. "We really need your help."

To anyone outside of the circle of heroes Robin looked fine. No civilian or policeman could ever tell that Robin or the other Titans had been run ragged during the past week. Robin glanced at Raven before answering the lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, can't this wait until—"

"No. I'm sorry Robin, but we need your help. I know you're working on a case now, but Overload is attacking the city's power generators. If he keeps it up he'll knock the whole power grid off and we'll have a blackout!"

Now _that_ was a problem.

Raven watched Robin struggling to make a decision. Right now their goal was to figure out who triggered the dust. All of the little incidents—Johnny Rancid's bank robbery, the HIVE kids, even Red X's little escapade—deviated them from their goal all week. Right now they were waiting for the Justice League to finish whatever business they had to do in Metropolis or Gotham so that they could work together.

But this was more than just monsters and mayhem. Just like Robin, Raven knew the implications of a blackout on the whole city. If Overload managed to fry the generators and backup generators the whole city would be thrown into chaos. Communications would go down. Security everywhere would go down. Villains being held in the Jump City Maximum Security Prison would be able to break out.

"Can't anyone else do this?" he asked.

"This is Overload. No one else can get near enough to take a clear shot."

"What about the honorary Titans?" Beast Boy piped up. "Maybe Aqualad or Speedy or… _someone?"_

"Aqualad is doing some work with an undercover agent in the HIVE Academy," Cyborg said. "And Speedy's off somewhere…not sure where…"

Robin turned towards them. Even before he opened his mouth Raven knew what his decision would be. She wouldn't expect anything less from the Boy Wonder. However, that didn't mean that she approved of his decision.

"We have some time to take care of Overload," he said. "Titans, go!"

They moved into action. For the briefest moment Raven stayed behind, wondering whether or not to make them all stay. After everything that had happened to everyone Raven wasn't sure if they could be sure of anything anymore.

With a dubious air she decided to follow.

 **-BW-**

9:48 pm

Gotham City

Crime Ally

Batman watched the drug dealers hesitantly band together in Crime Ally. He sat crouched on a rooftop next to an old billboard advertisement for toothpaste, still as a stone gargoyle and just as creepy. He put a pair of binoculars to his eyes and searched the faces of the men stepping out of a black Cadillac.

Of course, Black Mask wasn't there himself. Batman hoped to find some sort of clue from these men as to the location Black Mask was operating from. Then at long last he would be able to arrest the man.

His JLA communicator buzzed.

Like he had been doing all day, Batman ignored it.

If Clark was stupid enough to come to Gotham, then there would be hell to pay. He didn't want to deal with the League and their lectures about how to run his life. The thing was, though, Bruce knew that they might just come to Gotham. It would be like Clark to do something like that.

As he sat there like a stone statue Batman wondered whether he had made the right decision to come here. Once he reached the Gotham City Police Department to talk to Commissioner Gordon about Clayface's new activities thoughts of Dick festered at the back of his mind. And while he was making his way over here he thought about the Joker. There were so many things going on that he didn't know what to do. It took him a great amount of self-control _not_ to drive straight to Arkham.

Several toughs with machine guns stepped out of the car, securing the perimeter before commencing the engagement. Their eyes scanned the rooftops as they clutched their automatics with tight fists. They were probably watching out for the Batman like so many other twitchy criminals hanging around town. Three guys with automatics surrounded another man with a suitcase handcuffed to his wrist. There was the blood money. What kind of drug could Black Mask possibly be selling to warrant that much money?

Batman sat completely still. Unless someone—possibly one of the GCPD's hovering blimps—shone a light on the rooftop no one would know he was there. One of the lampposts nearest to his location flickered out.

His plan was to wait for the buyers to come out. Then he would swoop down at the most opportune moment, engage Clayface, and then nab one of the buyers to make him squeal. It would have to be done quickly and efficiently if he was to do this right.

Two of the toughs exchanged a quiet conversation right below him. They were discussing the possibilities of encountering the cops or Batman. For the first time in a long while Batman wished that he had a partner to help him nab the bad guys. If Robin were here he could provide a distraction while Batman went after the tough guys. That was back in the day when Dick _loved_ doing that kind of stuff. Of course, he could always call in Barbara, but a stubborn part of him prevented him from calling.

He heard laughter.

Batman cocked his head in curiosity as he lowered his binoculars from his face. He recognized that laugh, but it couldn't be…

Momentarily forgetting Clayface and the buyers, Batman began to scan the surrounding area. Where had that come from? Was he imaging things? It sounded so much like the Joker's laugh, but the Joker had been on his mind so much since yesterday evening that it must be getting to him. The lack of sleep probably didn't help either.

Puzzled, Batman turned his attention back to Clayface. Once he swooped in there Clayface was bound to resume his true form to fight Batman. Then all hell would break loose. Bullets would fly and blood would probably be spilled. Hopefully, he would be able to do this with minimal bloodshed.

"Hey, are you sure it's safe to meet here?" one of the buyers asked, directing his question towards the disguised Clayface. "I saw the Bat-signal on my way into town."

"What are you, superstitious?" his friend asked, chewing an unlit cigarette. "If everyone got spooked by the Bat _nothing_ would get done around here."

Ed Quinn, aka Clayface, merely smiled mischievously. What Batman wouldn't give to wipe the smirk off of Hagen's face right now…Clayface had been successfully avoiding him for the past three weeks. That was far too long for Batman's taste.

"If the Bat does show up we're going to fill him with lead, ya get me?" Clayface asked, motioning towards the gun hanging on his belt. "Now, let's get this over with. Black Mask ain't a patient man."

Nodding, the buyers moved closer to Clayface as the circle of thugs formed a tight circle. Batman tensed, putting away his binoculars as he leaned in closer to watch the exchange. Now he wished that that lamppost hadn't given out. He couldn't see anyone's face.

Someone laughed again, but it was louder this time.

Batman looked at the group of drug dealers and then back down the alley. A thought crossed his mind. Was Harley in prison? Yes, she was. She was under less security than the Joker, so it might be possible that she escaped. Then again, if she escaped prison then he would know right away. Batman shook his head. Why was he even thinking of Harley? Was it because he kept thinking of the Joker? The wind blew, softly blowing a piece of paper towards him. At first Batman ignored it, but then picked it up once he saw that it was a playing card.

The Prince of Knaves.

His eyes flickered towards the empty alleyway just below the building he stood on top of. He saw several more playing cards fluttering in the slight breeze. Ignoring the men down below, Batman began to sprint away and leapt across the rooftops. As he neared the edge of a rooftop he stopped himself. What was the matter with him? The Joker was in Arkham. He was just chasing shadows.

It was…just…that laughter sounded so real. And the playing cards…

Batman glanced at the buyers and then back in the direction of Arkham Asylum. Clayface could wait. It wasn't as if Black Mask's operations would cease tomorrow. Turning his back on the man he had been chasing for three weeks, he followed the trail of playing cards.

Although the slight wind shifted the cards out-of-line he could still follow the trail. The voices of Ed Quinn and the buyers slowly drifted out of earshot as Batman ran further and further away. He took out his grappling hook and swung down to the ground. Something caught his eye amongst the garbage littering the alleyway. A small box wrapped in brightly-colored paper decorated with smiley faces and a red bow was the oddball out.

A present.

Batman stopped dead in his tracks. Instead of approaching the box he took out a bat-a-rang and flung it towards the box. He crouched low and flung his cape over himself in anticipation of an explosion. His past dealings with the Joker made him wary of these kind of things. But nothing happened.

Utterly perplexed, Batman straightened. He looked at the present again, looking for anything strange or unusual. No explosions? No party favors? This didn't seem like the Joker's work. A copycat, perhaps?

A light shone on his face. Batman shied away from the light, holding up an arm to shield himself from the sudden brightness. Whoever was shining this godawful light in his face didn't seem like a foe. Any other villain would have attacked him in an instant.

"Oh, it's you."

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness Batman realized that it was a Gotham cop. A young guy. His partner stood a little ways away, his hand resting on the hilt of his gun. Good, he needed to talk to the GCPD anyway.

"Tell Commissioner Gordon that Black Mask's men are meeting in Crime Ally," Batman said. "Clayface is there, but it's the perfect opportunity to arrest his men."

Batman glanced back down at the garbage, but to his surprise he didn't see the Joker's present. For a moment he simply looked at the bedraggled shoebox in its place. The cop coughed awkwardly to get Batman's attention.

"Why don't you take out Clayface first?"

"Because I believe that there's a bigger threat behind this drug ring than Clayface," Batman replied, tearing his eyes away from the shoebox. "I'm going to investigate that."

The young cop mouthed incomprehensible words before sound finally came from his lips. "We can't handle Clayface. Who's a bigger threat than him?"

Of course, the cop probably knew the answer, but Batman didn't want to waste any more time. He blinked the after-images away from his eyes and shot his grapple hook towards the rooftop. Even though he normally would finish this business with Clayface he just couldn't wait. He should have followed his first instincts and gone straight to Arkham first.

The beam of light followed him as he shot towards to the rooftop. Before his cape whipped out of sight the cop shouted to him.

"Where are you going, Bats?"

Unfortunately for the cop, he didn't get an answer. Batman raced across the rooftops, intending to go back to the Batmobile and book it to Arkham. The night was still young. He had plenty of time to do the things he needed to get done.

As he ran he thought about his fear of the Joker. If the Joker really was behind this _and_ this business with the dust, then there would be hell to pay. It was one thing to terrorize the citizens of Gotham, but quite another to target someone so close to Batman.

In a way, Batman wanted Dick to stop being Robin just so that no one would target him anymore. Once before he forbade Dick to continue being Robin, after that horrendous encounter with Two-Face, but somehow that didn't quite work out. As adrenaline pumped through his system Batman became more and more convinced that the Joker was behind the dust. Why wouldn't he be? Why didn't Batman think of this before?

It made perfect sense. The Joker liked to screw around with Batman, but he would never kill him for that reason. That didn't mean that the Joker would be unwilling to kill Robin or anyone else close to him. Batman increased his speed, leaving Clayface and the drug dealers far behind him in Crime Ally to do their business. Commissioner Gordon and his men were more than capable of taking care of them.

His JLA communicator buzzed again.

"Batman," the communicator said. "Come back to the Manor right now. We're going to meet you there and all head to Jump City together."

That was Clark's voice. Or was it Ollie's? Bruce didn't' know and he didn't care. He was so focused on his current goal that those words didn't even register in his mind.

His JLA communicator dropped to the ground and fell into pieces as it smashed against the pavement. Now Clark and the others couldn't contact him or track him through the communicator. Just as well, Batman was sick of JLA interference. He had had enough of that crap. He was going to do what he should have done a couple of hours ago.

It was time to see the Joker.

 **-R-**

8:48pm

Jump City, California

Jump City Power Plant

"Stop, Overload!"

The sizzling villain merely looked at him quizzically. Not as if Robin expected him to respond. Overload was sort of a laconic villain. Robin rolled to the side as Overload threw an arm towards him. Unless Robin wanted to fry, he needed to move quickly.

"Foolish biologicals!" Overload hissed. "Overload will take over the generators!"

Way to be subtle.

Robin searched the ceilings for any source of water. That was how they beat him the first time. The problem was they couldn't just turn on all of the sprinklers here in the Power Plant. That could just as easily knock out the power, and he didn't want that to happen.

"Titans, find a way to touch him without getting electrocuted!"

He knew that he was being obvious, but he had to keep barking orders to help keep everyone alive.

Robin wondered whether he made the right decision to come here. While he knew that the JCPD wouldn't be able to handle this, he knew that could have called other people to help. He knew that he could have confessed to the police that the Titans were in no condition to fight anyone, but he just couldn't say no.

While everyone had their limits Robin couldn't afford to let the villains see the Titans' limits. By refusing to fight a criminal as menial as Overload the Titans would be showing their weakness to the world. And with the Justice League coming to help them, Robin wanted to show them (and secretly Bruce) that the Titans were at least competent enough to take down Overload.

Beast Boy screamed as Overload lashed out and electrocuted him. Panic fluttered within Robin's chest as he heard his friend scream. Without a second thought for his safety Robin launched himself in front of Beast Boy and faced Overload. The heat of the electric monstrosity caressed his bare skin and cast the Boy Wonder in a flickering white light.

"You've just made a _big_ mistake," Robin growled.

Laughing hysterically, Overload stuck an arm into one of the generators. Robin shut his eyes tightly as Overload's sizzling body grew brighter and brighter, to the point where the white light emanating from his body became blinding. The air around him shimmered as the heat intensified. Someone screamed as sparks flew from the air. Robin flung up an arm to shield his face from the oncoming sparks.

The lights went out.

Robin whipped his head around, trying desperately to see in the sudden darkness. As he stepped backwards he stepped into Starfire. All around him the other Titans struggled to adjust. A bright light shone in the darkness as Cyborg turned on one of his portable lights.

"Dude, where did Overload go?" Beast Boy asked.

That was a good question.

"I don't like this," Cyborg said, "it looks like he fried all of the generators."

Robin didn't like this either.

He gripped his bo-staff tightly in his hands as though planning to use it like a blind man uses a seeing stick. It bothered him that he could barely see his surroundings. Did Overload immerse himself within the power grid?

"Cyborg, can you check to make sure he hasn't?"

The cybernetic teen aimed his light to the generators. They looked pretty fried to Robin. Great, just great. This was _exactly_ what he wanted to avoid.

"Titans, we have to find Overload," Robin said, "Then we'll have to find a way to repo-"

A strange hissing sound emanated from all around them, like gas trickling out of an oven. Or perhaps like a poisonous gas leaking out of showerheads. At first he didn't even notice the noise until the hissing grew louder and louder until it was all he could hear. At once Robin pulled his cape over his mouth to block whatever was coming out of the vents. Still, like everyone else he began to cough as something swooped into his lungs.

Whatever was in the air completely engulfed him. As his eyes searched the darkness something horrible clicked within his mind. His mouth suddenly felt dry as he opened and closed his mouth, unable to comprehend what just happened.

"No," he whispered.

At that moment he couldn't find words to express the terror he felt. Here they were, in complete darkness, in the worst possible situation they could be in. At once he feared for his own sanity as well as the sanity of the other Titans. Robin let his cape fall as he grimaced to the darkness. What was he doing? He shouldn't be wasting time. He had to tell them immediately or else—

He heard several pairs of boots clanking against the floor. Before any of them had time to react one of their mysterious visitors shot Cyborg's shoulder lamp out. Starfire shrieked and the air around him grew hot as her fists glowed with starbolts. Robin could barely see anything even with Starfire's starbolts to light the room.

"TITANS! STAY TOGETHER!" Robin shouted.

He might as well have been talking to a doorknob. Someone strong grabbed him by the arm and dragged him away from the other Titans. Robin struggled to free himself, lashing out blindly at his attacker. His feet kicked at metal shins. The hand gripping his hand felt like steel. Who was attacking him, a man dressed in a metal uniform or some sort of robot?

Robin didn't have much time to think about that.

With the ferocity of a cornered man, Robin struggled to escape from his captor's tight grip. He didn't want to go through all of it again. He didn't want anyone else to experience the same blind terror that he had felt a week ago. However, nothing could change the fact that they had just been royally screwed over.

"NO!" he shouted. _"TITANS! TITANS! YOU'VE BEE—"_

Robin's cry was cut short as his attacker placed a hand over his mouth. He thrashed and screamed muffled threats, but whoever was holding him captive was much stronger. The man pinned Robin's arms to his chest with a strong arm and lifted his hand from Robin's mouth. Before Robin had time to shout a warning to the others the man slapped a wet rag over Robin's face.

Instantly, Robin knew what it was. The familiar scent of chloroform wafted into him as he breathed through the soaked rag. Slowly, he ceased his thrashing as he began to lose consciousness. The last thing he heard was the battle cries of the other Titans as they attempted to fight off their mysterious attackers. If he had the strength he would have begun to cry in desperation and fear, but all he could do now was succumb to the darkness.

He hung limply in his captor's arms. Before he lost consciousness completely one single thought took over his mind:

They were all infected with the dust.

End of Part 4

* * *

 **A/N:** *laughs hysterically as roommate watches in curiosity*

You guys are all going to hate me for the next few weeks. All I will say is that this is going to get complicated _really_ fast.


	24. Dust, Pt 5 Trigon's Daughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** If I could I would. But I don't.

**Disclaimer:** If I could I would. But I don't.

 **A/N:** Haha…wow, guys. You've officially set a record for the most reviews for a chapter EVER. You all did exactly what my roomie predicted: that you would all weep like small children (her exact words) and flail madly.

You set off a terrific blast to my 4-day weekend with all of the reviews. Thanks a bunch!

So…who's figured out what Bruce's problem is? I know some people have it already figured out. Even if you don't get it now things will be explained.

I will attempt to finish this story before November, since NaNoWriMo is coming up and I want to focus on that (even though I have NO time). If you're participating in the madness you should add me as a writing buddy (I'm under the name "crazymistborn") so that we can all suffer together.

* * *

"I will show you fear in a handful of dust."

-T.S Eliot

The Waste Lands (The Burial of the Dead)

* * *

Part 5: Trigon's Daughter, The Empath's Tale

Chapter 23: Dust

 **-BW-**

10:28pm

Gotham City

Arkham Asylum

Batman stared at the road ahead, his gloved hands gripping the steering wheel of the Batmobile tightly. His boot pressed the gas pedal to the floor as he sped along the curvy dirt path to the legendary asylum where nearly all of his incarcerated arch-enemies resided.

Truth be told, he hated going there. One could almost smell the insanity wafting through the cold hallways of Arkham. It practically seeped through the cement walls and permeated everything and everyone with its soft caresses. It crept up on the unsuspecting and struck even the most level-headed people in Gotham. Even the doctors who worked there could go insane. The Scarecrow and Harley Quinn were good examples. Crane was simply insane and Harley…well, anyone would have to be unstable to start with to fall in love with a madman like the Joker.

That was Gotham for you.

It was a little late, to be sure, but Dr. Arkham would just have to suck it up and let him in at this late hour. It wasn't as if he expected the Dark Knight to show up for the afternoon visitation hours. Besides, the safety of Gotham City was at stake. If the Joker was behind all this then Batman had to make sure that Black Mask still believed Batman to be oblivious about his drug ring.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said through the radio. "Tune into the news."

"I'm a little busy, Alfred."

"Sir, I think this is something you want to hear."

Batman didn't like the sound of Alfred's voice. It reminded him too much of the time Alfred told him he had to see the footage of the break-in at Wayne Enterprises. Baffled, Batman tuned to the radio until the static changed smoothly into a female reporter's voice.

"And in other news, the Jump City Police Department is completely baffled as to why there has been a massive blackout in Jump City. All backup generators were fried when the criminal known as Overload wrecked the generators. The Teen Titans, last seen battling Overloard, are nowhere to be found. The Jump City Police Department urges anyone with information about the Titans' whereabouts to come forward."

 _What?_

Batman eased his foot off of the gas pedal. His first instinct was to head straight back to Wayne Manor to the Batcave so that he might investigate this matter further. Of course, he was on the other side of the country and couldn't do anything physically to help Dick and his team. What if he contacted the Justice League? He put a hand to his belt and found that his JLA communicator was gone. _What the hell?_ Where did it go? He must have forgotten it back in Crime Ally.

Never mind.

Arkham Asylum was right there, just a few minutes away from where he was now. Here he was, so close to his destination. So close to the thing that had been bothering him since last night. Yet again, Batman found himself at a standstill. He was torn between finishing this business with Clayface and helping Robin. Maybe he should have hopped on a flight to Jump that afternoon. Maybe he should have—

Something caught his eye.

Someone dressed in bright orange darted out from behind a tree and back into the darkness. Batman slammed hard on the brakes. The slight drizzle wetted the road just enough for the Batmobile to hydroplane. He gripped the steering wheel tightly as he swerved to a halt.

 _Whoa!_ Bruce thought. _What the hell was that?_

Smoke curled above the Batmobile as Batman stepped out into the cold dark night. The only lights around was the bright headlights of the Batmobile and the faint lights from the small windows of Arkham. Even if there was a moon the clouds covered the night sky completely.

Utter darkness.

"Master Bruce? Master Bruce!" Alfred said over the Bat communicator. "The entire Justice League is waiting outside the door."

Alfred's words went over Batman's head. If the Justice League wanted to see him, then they would have to drag him back to Wayne Manor. Even with all of their powers at their disposal Batman knew them well enough to evade them if he wanted to. But never mind them.

There was only one kind of person who would be out and about wearing bright orange: an escaped criminal. Batman glanced at the ominous jagged outline of Arkham Asylum. Did they know that one of their convicts had escaped? The alarms weren't ringing. There were no search parties out. Still, maybe this was a criminal known for being ultra-sneaky. Perhaps no one knew that someone had escaped.

Batman put the Batmobile on lockdown and turned off the headlights. He placed a finger to his cowl and turned on his night vision. He scanned the surrounding area, waiting for the mysterious figure to appear again. After a moment Batman advanced towards the tree line.

His boots squished into the muddy ground as he walked forward. Who could have escaped? He heard someone laughing softly, the noise echoing all around him. Batman whipped his head around, looking for the source of the noise. He knew that laugh anywhere.

"The Joker."

As though in response, an orange-clad Joker stepped out from behind a tree. A wicked smile spread across his face as he waved at Batman joyfully. Before Batman could respond the Joker turned tail and disappeared back into the trees.

Batman's eyes narrowed. What would Alfred and Dick and the rest of the League say now? Here was solid proof that the Joker was out wrecking havoc. Batman wasn't crazy. Here was the reason why he had to be obsessive about the Joker. Batman's hands formed fists. How did the Joker get out?

He began to chase him.

 **-AK-**

9:11pm

Jump City, California

Kane Residence

Adeline stood next to the window and stared out into the darkness, smoke curling out of the cigarette hanging from her lips. Behind her Joey bustled around the living room, lighting candles and setting them in strategic places.

A blackout wasn't the most curious thing to have happened to her or Joey.

Sighing, she took out the cigarette and smashed it into an ashtray. She really needed to quit. It was just…ever since divorcing Slade she just smoked more and more. For a long time she managed to forget about her husband for a while…until that boy showed up at her front door.

 _"Is this enough?"_ Joey asked, tapping her on the shoulder to catch her attention. _"Or should I light some more?"_

"No, that's plenty."

Adeline brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She tracked Slade to Jump City, but never confronted him. Neither of them could probably handle a confrontation. What she told the boy about Slade was true.

As a civilian she never cared much for the superhero world. Batman always swung between a successful and well-trained vigilante and a first-class nut job. His kid was such a pleasant contrast to Gotham's gruff Dark Knight. Robin didn't do anything to deserve what Slade did to him.

 _"I wonder when the power will come back on,"_ Joey mused.

"Maybe they'll be broadcasting on the radio," Adeline said, turning around and heading towards the bookshelf. "It looks as if the whole city is out."

She took down a radio resting on the bookshelf and checked to see if it had batteries in it.

Too bad the powerlines were down. It wasn't as if she couldn't function without electricity—Adeline was a military woman after all—but it was merely inconvenient. Ever since Robin mentioned that he contacted Wintergreen, Adeline had been meaning to contact the man herself. Like Robin, she held nothing against Wintergreen and cared for his well-being.

Slade caused so many people so much pain. If only he hadn't volunteered for that medical experiment then everything could have been normal. Grant wouldn't be dead. Joey wouldn't be mute or a Metahuman. And that poor boy wonder…

Not until after Robin went missing did Adeline suspect that something was amiss in Jump City. Perhaps she was one of the few who knew what was happening. As his former wife, Adeline understood Slade better than anyone. That medical experiment that gave him his powers messed with his head, making him more dangerous and intelligent than before.

What on earth made him think that he needed an apprentice?

Was it because Grant was dead? Because Adeline made sure that he never saw or touched Joey again? Since he couldn't have access to his own sons—especially Grant—he went after the Bat's kid instead? Like everyone else in Jump City, she watched the news with baited breath during that month Robin went missing. People suspected that Slade might be behind it (he was the Titans' greatest foe after all) but only Adeline could guess at the truth.

She didn't need to ask Robin to know that Slade knew his secret identity. Robin betrayed that fact alone through the way he talked and acted about Slade. Why else would he be so frightened? She wouldn't expect anything less from Slade. And if Slade knew Robin's secret identity then it was only natural that Slade probably knew Batman's identity.

But knowing what Slade planned to do wasn't enough to stop him from doing it. Although she did not allow Robin's comment about not helping him jar her, she did feel guilty all the same.

While she neither approved nor disapproved of this superhero vigilante business at least the Titans were trying to do good in this world. She glanced at Joey, who was reading a book by candlelight. Even though he was a Metahuman he didn't feel the need to become a costumed vigilante.

At least not yet.

This whole dust business seemed to have sent shockwaves throughout the superhero community. Just the other day she thought she saw a red-and-gold blur streaking through town. That must have been the Flash. And every time she turned on the news there was always a story about what the Justice League was up to. Everyone was connected.

Like a family.

Slade had ruined her family. Because of Slade's influence Grant was dead. It wasn't fair to drag Robin into this mess when he obviously had his own problems with the Batman to deal with. Before Robin appeared at her front door Adeline had tried to put Slade behind her. But she just couldn't, not when Slade was still out there hurting other people.

"—Stay tuned for more information on the power outage, which was not planned by the city. The Chief of Police advises everyone to stay inside their homes, for the power outage has allowed criminals within the Jump City Maximum Security Prison to escape. Do not approach these persons or contact them in any way. If you have any information regarding the location of the Teen Titans, please contact the JCPD at once."

Adeline exchanged wide-eyed glances with her son. A massive breakout from the Jump City Maximum Security Prison? Where were the Titans? What the hell was going on?

" _The Teen Titans will fix this, won't they?"_ Joey asked.

Adeline's fingers scrambled for the box of cigarettes deep within her pants pocket. Joey watched her with wide-eyes as she took out a cigarette and lit it. The addicting nicotine helped her calm down somewhat. She really should stop.

What to do?

"Joey, put on your uniform," she said, crushing her cigarette out in an ashtray. "Do it now."

As Joey scurried out of the room Adeline went to her own bedroom. Inside the closet was a box full of guns. Ever since she retired from active duty she hadn't been keeping up with guns. Just because she birthed two children, however, didn't mean that she couldn't still kick butt.

Adeline put a gun in its holster hanging on her hips. Without the Titans to assist them the JCPD must be running around the city like idiots. Joey came into the room, dressed in a purple-and-white uniform with golden gauntlets. No longer was he Joseph Wilson, the silent son of Slade Wilson, but a hero named Jericho.

 _"What's going on, Mom?"_ Joey asked.

"I'm not sure," she replied, cocking her pistol, "but I'm sure that your father has something to do with this."

She knew that she could be going deep into this superhero business by just jumping into the fray. But if any of this was Slade's doing, then Adeline felt a need to help fix this mess. Chaos was consuming Jump City. It was surprising that no one had yet called in the military for help. Probably because the citizens of Jump City still believed that the Teen Titans were coming to save them all.

Together, mother and son sprinted out of the front door. Adeline didn't know what was going to happen next or what she planned to do even when she got to Jump City. All she knew was that the Titans were in trouble. She had every right not to get involved, but after seeing what her…former husband…had done to the kid she felt obliged to help him. She glanced down at her son. Adeline knew that he wanted to put his powers to good use by joining a group like the Titans. Robin had every right not to trust her or Joey because of their connection with Slade. But if they helped the Titans this once...maybe, just maybe, they would trust her son.

All hell was breaking loose.

 **-Rae-**

9:19pm

Jump City, California

Jump City Power Plant

She fought off the last of her attackers.

Even in the darkness she could still sense them all around her. From what she could tell, they were not human and definitely robots. Her hood flew back as she was thrown back against a wall. She sensed one of her attackers preparing to punch her in the face. The darkness of her magic was indistinguishable from the darkness surrounding her.

"Get away!" she snapped. "Or I'll—"

Her words were cut short as another robot grabbed the back of her cloak, choking her words away. The robot that attacked her first took the opportunity to take a jab at her stomach. The room glowed red as one of the robots raised a gun and shot it towards her.

Dodging things in the dark wasn't the easiest thing in the world. Raven gasped as a laser seared through her sleeve and burned her arm. More and more robots surrounded her, threatening to drown her in numbers as each one held her down.

The sound of her friends' screams grew softer as several robots dragged them away. She sensed their minds drifting away into unconsciousness. Raven struggled fruitlessly against her attackers. There were far too many for her to fight alone.

Too many.

Slowly, Raven stopped struggling. She couldn't see anything. Her friends were unconscious or gone completely from the room. There were far too many robots for her to fight off. If this was supposed to be the final attack, then maybe they wouldn't get hurt if she stopped struggling. She was just…so…tired. A reddish glow cast her in a dull light as one of the robots stood over her, aiming his gun towards her head.

A sudden hope surged through her.

This wasn't how she was going to die. Ever since she was a child Raven knew that one day she was to become the portal that Trigon needed to enter this dimension. Only when her body was destroyed in that process would she die. It was slim, morbid hope, but hope nevertheless.

 _"AZARATH METRION ZINTHOS!"_ Raven shouted, her voice echoing loudly in the room.

A shield of black magic surrounded her as she called upon the forces of Azarath to help her, using all of the skills that the monks of Azarath taught her. It pushed away her attackers and slammed them against the walls as she pushed outward, screaming words as her frustration took over her. Dark swirls of energy circled around her as all of her frustration and worry manifested itself in power.

Bodies slammed against the wall as four red eyes appeared on her face. _No one_ was going to take her captive. _No one_ was going to hurt her or her friends. _No one_ was going to die.

Not on her watch.

A gasp escaped her lips as Raven regained control of her powers, as though someone had just thrown ice-cold water over her. Bits and pieces of robots clattered to the floor as she let them go.

She fell to her knees and held a hand to her head, sweat pouring down her forehead as her eyes turned back to normal. That had taken a lot out of her. Now that no one was attacking her she realized that one of the robots shot her in the arm. A nasty burn seared the skin on her upper arm, but she didn't mind. Right now all that mattered was her and her friends.

Clutching her aching arm, Raven called out into the darkness.

"Guys?"

No one answered back.

The last thing she remembered anyone else saying was Robin's terrified shouts. What had he been trying to say? Did he understand what was happening?

For once she wished she had Robin's detective skills. While Raven wasn't stupid she couldn't figure things out like he could. Her heart began to pound madly against her ribcage. Closing her eyes, she tried to reach out and sense her friends around her. She felt nothing. She was all alone.

This was the worst feeling in the world.

Coughing, Raven put her hands along the wall and began to feel for the door. Raven pushed open the door and rushed out into the cool night. The stars above twinkled merrily as she gazed all around her. There was not a single light on in Jump City. Even the moon was gone.

She hung her head as she wrapped her cloak tightly around herself, trying to hold back tears. For some reason, it was unfair that everyone else had been captured or killed while she survived. If they knew the truth about her and the end of the world, then they would realize that she shouldn't even be alive.

But there was nothing she could do now except fight back.

 _But why fight back?_ Trigon's voice purred in her mind. _Your friends will die anyway when I enter through the portal to rule this universe._

"SHUT UP!" she spat, her voice sounding odd in the silent air. "You can't control me."

Raven stood on top of the building. Even though the power was out she could still hear the terrified thoughts of the thousands of civilians living in Jump. Whatever she did, she couldn't allow her fears to choke her, especially when they concerned her father.

She glanced down and frowned. A reddish glow emanated from underneath her cloak. A gasp escaped from her lips as she saw that flaming symbols covered every inch of bare skin.

"No…" she whispered, gazing at her hands in horror. "It can't be…it _shouldn't be…"_

 _"The gem was born of evil's fire…the gem shall be his portal…"_

 _"No!"_ Raven screamed, shutting her eyes to shut out the noise.

What was going on? The prophesized day wouldn't happen for another year. The monks said that she would be seeing visions…but _now?_ It didn't make sense. And to have these visions at this time…when she was the only Titan who escaped the wrath of whoever was behind this—

Then it hit her like a two-ton brick. Raven knew exactly what had happened when the power went out. She collapsed to her knees in desperation. That hissing noise—that had been dust leaking in from the ventilation systems. All of them had been infected with the dust and were all battling with their own worst fears. Her hands clenched into fists as hopelessness and desperation washed over her. Those personal attacks were deliberately slow. For the past week the perpetrator ran them all ragged and planted the seed of fear and doubt into each of the Titans.

Only Robin realized that they were infected with the dust. That was what he had been trying to say before someone knocked him out. Since Overload knocked the city's power out there was no way any of them could access any sort of light, which left everybody vulnerable to the horrors of their minds.

Flames flickered across the rooftop as her father's laughter boomed through the night, the flames outlining the mark of Scath. Raven stood and pulled her hood up. She may be infected with the dust, but whoever the perpetrator was didn't figure this part out through enough. Those robots were meant to kill her. She was right when she thought that whoever triggered the reagent wouldn't be able to attack her. No one knew her personal history. So instead of messing with her mind they decided to mess with her friends.

She knew that the day would come and she accepted that. It was the only thing holding her to reality. Robin was the only one who knew that everyone was infected with the dust, and hopefully he would have enough sense not to destroy himself before the sun rose. She couldn't count on the fact that everyone else would be able to figure it out in time.

Where had her friends gone?

 **-CK-**

10:46pm

Gotham City

Wayne Manor

Clark landed in front of Wayne Manor with a _thud,_ his scarlet boots sinking slightly in the wet ground. Three other JLA members caught up with him: Wonder Woman in her invisible jet, Flash (why was he _always_ late? _Why?)_ and Green Arrow. Several others were going to join them in a few minutes.

Right now Clark didn't care how odd they looked standing in front of Wayne Manor. With the full might of the Justice League evil wouldn't stand a chance tonight. But right now Clark was downright pissed at Bruce, who had evidently dropped his communicator on the pavement.

"Do you want me to try to contact him?" Martian Manhunter asked.

"Not until we know what's going on," Clark said, lifting a hand. "Nothing may be wrong yet."

For some reason, dread filled the pit of Clark's stomach. Although he wasn't psychic something told him that whatever Bruce was up to was bad business. Perhaps it had been because of the man's cold attitude all day towards everyone. If anything, Bruce shouldn't be out fighting crime in the mood that he was in.

Lifting a huge fist to the large double doors of Wayne Manor, Clark knocked. A few moments later Alfred opened the door. He took one glance at all of them before stepping aside to let them inside. As they entered Wayne Manor Alfred lifted a Bat-communicator to his lips.

"Master Bruce? Master Bruce! The entire Justice League is waiting outside the front door."

Alfred lifted a finger from the communicator and waited for a response. Everyone else waited in silence as well. Bruce did not respond. Something really _was_ wrong with Bruce. If Bruce wasn't even responding back to Alfred…then the man might be in even deeper trouble than Clark realized.

"Alfred," Clark said, "where's Bruce? He's locator is offline and we have _no_ idea where he is."

"Master Bruce went out to apprehend Clayface. The last time I checked in on him he was on his way to Arkham Asylum."

Clark felt uneasy about this. Why wouldn't Bruce see sense? Everyone knew that the Joker was locked up in Arkham. There was no proof that the Joker had escaped. If he had, everyone in the superhero business would already know. And even if the Joker _did_ escape Bruce had given none of them reason to trust him. All day Bruce talked irrationally, acting even colder than usual to those close to him. Normally Clark wouldn't question Batman, but now he believed that he had good reason to.

"Look, we need to find him _now._ We have to go to Jump—"

"Did you hear the news? Jump is experiencing a mass power outage and the Titans are missing."

 _"What?"_

Clark felt his stomach drop. That first part about the power outage didn't concern him, but the Titans were _missing?_ He exchanged bewildered glances with the other JLA members. Was this the final attack on the Titans?

"How did this happen?"

"I've been listening to the news for the past hour. The Titans responded to a distress call from the JCPD. Overload was attacking the city's power supply. About ten minutes later the entire city powers down. The police went to look for them, but everyone is gone."

Everyone looked to Superman.

Superman struggled to make a decision. What were they to do? He could only assume that the final attack on the Titans had just been carried out. But now that Bruce was missing—what should he do? Jump was all the way on the other end of the continent. By the time he or anyone else got to California it may already be too late.

Well then, he shouldn't be wasting time.

"Split up," Clark said, "Zatanna and Flash, go to Jump City and help locate the Titans. Green Arrow, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter go help the GCPD apprehend Clayface. Wonder Woman and I will try to go after Bruce."

Both of them nodded. Flash took a hold of Zatanna's hand and the pair of them zoomed away. Clark heard them break the sound barrier as they raced towards Jump City. The other Justice League members moved, splitting themselves up into smaller teams to tackle the other problems at hand. There was Clayface to worry about, since he was now beating the crap out of the poor GCPD because Batman didn't confront Clayface. Several other members went off to deal with other villains in Central City and Ivy Town.

Clark hated spreading out the JLA members like this, but what else could he do? The only person who could help solve the mystery of the dust was now running around Arkham chasing ghosts. Clark knew that he was the only person Bruce was legitimately afraid of. Only Clark and Diana would be able to either talk some sense into Bruce or drag him back to the JLA Watchtower to see what the hell was wrong with him.

"Don't worry, Alfred," Clark said, "everything will be fine."

The old butler merely looked at Clark. "I certainly hope so, Mr. Kent."

Clark ran out of the door and launched himself into the air. Wonder Woman leapt into her invisible jet and the both of them ascended into the air, heading towards Arkham Asylum. The slight drizzle turned into rain, splattering his face as he flew faster than a speeding locomotive. To save Bruce and the Titans Clark just might have to fly faster than the speed of light.

"Oh Bruce," he murmured. "What is wrong with you?"

 **-R-**

9:36pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

Robin awoke.

However, he wasn't sure if he was awake. When he opened his eyes he saw only darkness. Robin was aware that he was lying on his back on cold, concrete floor. He groaned and pushed himself to his knees. Where were the others? The last thing he remembered was the blackout…Overload… the strong scent of chloroform….the dust…

The dust.

Something was wrong.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness he realized that he was in a small room. He felt the metal arm and leg guards clamped to his uniform. Funny…there weren't any metal parts to his uniform…Robin's eyes widened in astonishment as he realized what was wrong.

He was wearing his apprentice uniform.

He felt as though he couldn't breathe. At once his fingers caught the edges of his upper chest plate. It needed to come off…if anything it felt like a metal collar around his neck…

Robin went to his knees as he struggled to take it off. He began to feel dizzy…dirty…just the feel of the black leather made his skin crawl. After his fingers slipped on the cold metal a few times he finally managed to take it off. He then proceeded to unclasp the arm and leg guards and utility belt, throwing them hard against the walls of his prison. Metal echoed against metal. With a grimace he peeled away his gloves and scrunched them into a ball. He put his naked fingers to his face and felt the spiked mask plastered on his face.

Cold fear ran through him. Someone had done this to him while he was unconscious. Someone had taken off the mask Batman gave him and put this new one on him. Whoever did this knew his identity or at the very least knew his face.

What the hell was going on?

"I see that my little bird is awake," a cool, menacing voice said. "Excellent."

 _Oh, God, not again…_

Panic filled every pore of his body as he gazed around, trying to locate the source of Slade's voice. Robin scrambled to his feet and pressed himself against the metal wall, trying to mentally reassure himself that Slade was dead. He ran his hands over the walls, trying to find an exit or a light switch. His hands only found smooth metal, just like the walls of his room in Slade's haunt. Was that where he was now?

No…it couldn't be. There was no furniture in the room. And something in Robin's gut told him that this was only a replica meant to scare him. If he wasn't in Slade's old haunt, then where was he?

The darkness pressed in on him. To his disgust he found himself holding back tears as he began to pound his fists helplessly against the walls. His shoulders shook uncontrollably as he leaned forward, his sweaty forehead touching the floor as his hands slid down the walls. This was worse than before. At least he had the comfort of the Tower…the basement…to experience his nightmares.

"It really is a joy to see you in my colors again. It brings back so many memories."

The apprentice uniform felt constricting on him. Who could have put it on him? Was Slade really alive? Of course not. Robin watched him fall into the pit of lava when Terra rebelled. Yes, Robin doubted before, but all of his doubts about Slade…about himself…

"You're not real," Robin said as fiercely as he could. "You're only in my mind."

Someone was obviously trying to scare him by forcing him to inhale the dust again and trying to make him paranoid by putting him in this uniform. His hands touched the smooth walls, trying to find a doorway or a light switch.

"I beg to differ."

The voice sounded like it was coming closer. Robin's eyes widened as Slade appeared from the darkness. He forced his head to turn the other way. All he needed was a little light to stop the hallucinations. All of this was in his mind. As long as he didn't interact with the hallucination then he would be fine.

Slade's imaginary figure strode closer and closer as Robin backed into a corner. He shut his eyes and clenched his fists. Slade wasn't real. All those bruises he received were from his own fists. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice by fighting his own imagination.

 _"The more you fought Slade," Starfire said, "the more harm it did to you."_

Robin gasped as Slade's hand encircled his neck. His breathing became shallow and ragged as he opened his eyes. He flexed and fingers experimentally. They were still at his sides.

"Did you honestly believe that the dust in my mask was the end?" Slade asked. "This was all a trap, dear boy."

 _Don't fight,_ Robin thought, _for the love of God don't fight! It'll only get worse…_

"I'm so _very_ real," Slade whispered, tightening his hold on Robin's neck. "And now that I've got you all to myself, I think you'll find that we have much to talk about."

Abandoning all rationality, Robin began to thrash and squirm in an attempt to escape Slade's grip. He didn't care if this was real or not. To him, this was very real. His hands tugged uselessly at Slade's arms as his legs kicked empty air.

"Oh God, please no!" he exclaimed. "You're supposed to be dead… _DEAD!"_

However, just like before, his struggles did nothing. Robin was perfectly aware that he was shouting at himself, to a figment of his imagination. But sheer, bloody panic overtook him. He did everything in his power to free himself, but just like before Slade grew stronger and stronger as Robin's mind slowly began to destroy itself.

Tears finally trickled down his cheeks as Slade pinned him against the walls by the wrists, reminding Robin eerily of the time when he mentioned Bruce to him. His fingers twitched into weak fists as his face flushed an embarrassed shade of scarlet. He was embarrassed that he began to cry in front of Slade, even if this Slade was a figment of his imagination.

He was frightened.

He was scared.

He was humiliated.

 _"Why can't you just go away?"_ Robin asked, struggling to control his gulping breaths. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

That was all he wanted. He wanted Slade to be gone. Why had he been obsessing the night the dust overtook him? Because he wanted Slade to truly be dead. He wanted that scumbag to be locked away forever or dead so that he wouldn't hurt him or anyone else anymore.

But Slade didn't let him go. Was he so paralyzed by his own fear that he was allowing it to destroy his mind? A part of him said yes. Stars popped in front of his eyes as Slade hit him hard across the face.

"Do you realize that you contradict yourself, Richard?" Slade asked, his voice nearly a purr. "You obsessed over me. This is your fault. Why would I leave you alone now, when you have come so far to meet me face-to-face?"

Instead of replying, Robin swallowed. One side of his face felt numb. That hit hurt so bad that it brought tears to his eyes. His breathing became shallow as he considered his sanity. Robin wanted so badly to believe that this was all in his mind…but that slap felt real.

In a way, this version of Slade was more terrifying than the actual thing. The real Slade did a dammed good job of scaring the crap out of him, but there were those slight personality flaws that made him human: such as his unwillingness to kill Robin and his love for a son. That was the only reason Robin realized that he was imagining Slade. In his mind, Slade was terrifying enough to kill. But in reality Slade would never kill him.

A light flickered on. Both Robin and Slade turned towards the source of light, and Robin fell heavily to the floor as the light washed Slade out. He blinked a few times in the sudden light before raising his head to look for the source. His eyes widened in surprise.

"Hello Robin."

* * *

 **A/N:** I KNOW! I KNOW! I'M A TERRIBLE PERSON FOR ENDING THE CHAPTER LIKE THIS!

Um…I didn't even realize how creepy it was to have someone dress Robin in the apprentice uniform until after I posted chapter 3…and by then it was too late 'cause I already set it up…but I'M NOT A SLASH WRITER! REALLY!

And yes, there is a reason why I saved Raven for last. Another thing: YES I messed up on the time. I am not a mathematically-oriented person. Just a dumb English major. But oh well, it's getting a little complicated anyway because everything is supposed to be happening simultaneously. I'm sure most of you don't care about the time anyway.

I do believe the T.S Eliot quote was very appropriate for this chapter. I was proud of myself for coming up with that one.

You know the protocol: review.


	25. Benefits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own DC Comics. I'm gonna start a riot.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own DC Comics. I'm gonna start a riot.

 **A/N:** Sorry about the cliffhangers. Just kidding, I regret nothing. I like to watch you guys flail, although my suitemate is now literally clawing at my door after she read the latest chapter. Special thanks to rikku92, who drove two hours to my college to personally confront me about the cliffy two chapters ago and to fangirl madly with me. She also drew me a chibi Robin going insane. :D

Anyway, I've had to write and re-write this particular chapter multiple times. It's a very important chapter and, as you may have noticed, there's a lot of stuff going on all at once. It's kind of hard to keep track of what's happening to each of the characters and I want it to work. This is one of the chapters I wrote in advance during the summer (I even had the quote picked out beforehand and everything) so that I knew what I was working towards, but I still edited it heavily as the story morphed and changed into this...madness.

And it's midterms week! AHHHHHHHHHHH! That's why this chapter is up a little early: I have midterms/tests/projects so I don't want to have to worry about this chapter so that I can focus on schoolwork. I seriously want to get this done before Halloween, so I might be updating more often depending on my schedule. We're on the home stretch, guys: I might just be doing a pre-NaNoWriMo marathon as I hurry to finish this story. Several people have told me to take my time with this, but frankly I want this DONE. Not because I hate this story or anything, but because I have other ideas and I've been dragging this out for ALMOST FIVE MONTHS. You people deserve to read the whole last part in one go. I don't know how I'm going to update fast (I'll probably write during class hehe or get up at some ungodly hour like...seven am), but I'm gonna try.

* * *

" _Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate."_

"Abandon all hope, you who enter here."

Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy: The Inferno Canto III:9

* * *

Chapter 24: Benefits

 **-BB-**

9:38pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

When Beast Boy came back to consciousness he groaned.

He sat up and rubbed his aching head. That was one hard hit he took to the noggin. Beast Boy didn't remember exactly what had happened. Some brief memories of robots and darkness and Overload went through his mind.

 _Come on, Logan,_ Beast Boy thought, _think! What was the last thing you remember doing?_

Glancing down at himself, he remembered that Overload had zapped him while they were fighting. His clothing smelled charred. Robin then said something…although Beast Boy couldn't remember what…and then there was darkness. He was still in darkness. Didn't Overload do something to the city's power grid?

"Hello, Gar."

Beast Boy froze instantly at the sound of the voice, his ears twitching as his heart began to pound madly. By all accounts, he shouldn't be hearing that voice since the owner was long dead. He shut his eyes and shook his head, trying to reassure himself that he wasn't going mad. Beast Boy turned his head to look.

Terra was alive.

Beast Boy backed away. She couldn't be…nothing had worked to reverse the effects of the stone. How could she be alive now? He must be hearing and seeing things.

Terra stood in the doorway dressed exactly as Beast Boy had last seen her: in Slade's unfashionable apprentice uniform. Her long blond hair fell down past her shoulders and obscured her face.

"T-Terra?" he spluttered. "N-no. No! You can't be Terra!"

Ever since Terra died he wanted nothing more than to see her face again. He and the others tried so hard to reverse the effects of the stone, but by now he had learned to accept the fact that she was truly dead. As Beast Boy looked at the Terra standing in front of him he felt his heart sank.

He threw his arms over his head and tried to will the image away. There was no way she could be alive. This was all a trick!

Terra brushed her hair away from her face. Beast Boy gulped and backed away into the wall. He didn't quite know how to handle this. The last thing he remembered was fighting off Overload at the Jump City Power Plant. Then the power went off and someone had knocked him out.

Where was he, anyway?

His heart softened as soon as he saw the expression on her face. It was that of a defeated person, of one who had no control over her situation. It was the exact expression that Beast Boy saw on her face when he burst into Slade's haunt looking for her. She turned her eyes towards him. Tears fell down her face.

"Gar…help."

She collapsed to the ground. To his surprise he saw that she was covered in blood all down her side, as though someone had cut her open with a knife. What had happened? How did…

He rushed over to her fallen figure and crouched down next to her. He slipped a hand underneath her and supported her thin body, which was trembling in pain. Who could have done this to he—no, what was he doing? Terra was dead!

"I…Terra…" he said, unsure of what to say or do. "How…are you here?"

Beast Boy's ears perked up at the sound of heavy boots. To his even greater surprise Slade stepped into the room. Beast Boy hated that suit and what it did to her. He thought it was bad enough when Slade infected the Titans with the probes, but when Beast Boy found out what Slade had done to her Slade hit a new low.

It was sick and wrong to treat someone like that. Even Beast Boy wouldn't wish for control like that on his worst enemy. His moral standards were too high. Although he felt an urge to get up and fight, he knew that Terra needed his attention first.

"Gar…I…"

Her hand reached for his. Beast Boy saved her the effort of reaching for him by taking her hand himself. There was nothing more he wanted to do than to hold her in his arms again, to re-live this part of his life that agonized him almost more than anything else.

She expired.

Tears formed in his eyes as he watched her die. Again.

"Slade," Beast Boy growled. "You did this to her!"

He transformed into a velociraptor and thundered towards Slade. He didn't even understand why he did that. All of the various emotions that he experienced over the past week overcame him like a possessed man. At once he didn't care whether this was a hallucination or not. He just wanted someone to beat the snot out of.

With relative ease Slade caught him by his open jaws and punched him hard. Momentarily disorientated, Beast Boy transformed back into a human. The mercenary took the opportunity to grab him by the scruff of the neck. Slade threw him forcefully across the room. Beast Boy felt his skin tear as his back hit the broken mirrors. With a grimace he pushed himself to his feet so that he could face Slade. He didn't care if Robin wanted to beat Slade himself. Beast Boy had held his own during the night of Terra's betrayal.

"Poor, poor Logan," Slade said, "illusions die hard, don't they?"

A cry of pain escaped his lips as Slade hit him again. Beast Boy backed away with a hand to his side. Now he could understand why Robin was so terrified of the guy. That _really_ hurt.

Whatever this illusion was, Beast Boy knew it wasn't real. Slade was supposed to be dead. He wasn't going to go crazy like Robin. "I don't have time for this," Beast Boy said, turning away.

He needed to find a way out of here. Even though he had no idea where he was or how he got here, Beast Boy knew that he had to get out. Beast Boy cried out as Slade grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked him backwards.

"You're not going anywhere."

Slade kneed Beast Boy in the small of his back.

 _This,_ Beast Boy thought, _is not good._

 **-S-**

9:41pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

Starfire woke up in shackles.

The heavy weight of the specially-made handcuffs immediately brought her on the alert. Darkness still surrounded her, but she got the sense that she was in an enclosed area. Starfire pushed herself to her knees and called out into the darkness.

"Hello? Is there anyone there?"

What had happened? Where was Robin? The last thing she remembered before she lost consciousness was Robin's frantic voice calling for them to stay together. It seemed as though he screamed out those directions a second too late.

She froze as she heard an alien tongue speaking in a harsh tone. No…it couldn't be…they wouldn't dare come back to Earth…

"The Tamaranean is awake," a Gordanian voice said. "Sir, when shall we depart for the Citadel?"

She knew it!

The Gordanians had come to Earth before when she escaped from the slave-ship. It was only a matter of time before they came back to Earth to seek her out again. She wouldn't be surprised if the Gordanians announced that the Citadel had a bounty on her head.

Of course, why didn't she see it before? The Gordanians were behind all of this business with the dust in Slade's mask. How they came about figuring out about the dust was a mystery to her, but it made sense that they would target the boy she loved first before breaking down the others.

"Who are you?" she demanded in Tamaranean.

The Gordanian snorted. "Why should we tell you, Troq?"

"I demand—"

Stars popped in front of her eyes as a Gordanian hit her in the face with the butt of his gun. With her hands shackled together there was nothing that she could do to protect herself. Before Starfire could snap back the Gordanian began to kick her.

"Pathetic."

Blowing a strand of hair away from her face, Starfire glared at the Gordanian. If anything, she felt that she was far from pathetic. The Gordanian soldier looked down at her and sneered.

"What do you believe is going to happen, Troq?" The Gordanian soldier asked. "Your identity and location was given to us by one of your so-called friends."

"W—what do you mean?" Starfire demanded. "None of my friends would betray me!"

No one would ever betray her! She trusted her friends here on Earth. Even if what the Gordanian said was true Starfire knew that none of her friends would betray her willingly. That fact alone made her even more upset.

"Well, I have to admit, they had a little help."

Starfire stiffened at the sound of the voice. She turned her head and found her sister Blackfire striding into the room. A malicious grin spread across the older Tamaranean's face.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Starfire demanded.

"Why? Surprised to see me, little sister?"

Yes, Starfire _was_ surprised to see her sister here and not chained up like she was. The Gordanians were her enemies as much as Starfire's.

"Have you not forgotten what the Citadel has done to us?" Starfire growled, her eyes beginning to glow. "Even if we must be enemies, let us at least be united against the Citadel."

At least that got Blackfire's attention. Although Starfire liked to be nice to her sister Starfire never understood why Blackfire held such resentment towards her. They had gone through so much together…how could they now be enemies? After a moment's hesitation Blackfire's face changed into a smirk.

"I'm taking matters into my own hands," Blackfire said. "I've made a deal with the Gordanians."

Horror overcame Starfire. No sane Tamaranean would ever make a deal with a Gordanian. Out of all the people Starfire expected, she would have never expected her sister to trust the Citadel. Since both of them were heirs to the Tamaranean throne it was both political and literal suicide to make a deal with the Gordanians.

"The Gordanians cannot be trusted!" Starfire spat. "Even you should know that."

Blackfire did not seem to have an answer for her, but by now Starfire didn't care. She didn't want to see her sister anymore. As stream practically hissed out of Starfire's ears Blackfire stood up, brushing imaginary dust away from her arm.

"Well, as much as I would love to stay and chat, little sister, I do believe that I have Tamaran to take over." She snapped her fingers at the Gordanian soldiers. "Do whatever you want to her. I don't care."

 _No,_ Starfire thought, _she would not…_

Starfire pressed herself against the back of her prison, trying not to tremble as two Gordanians approached her. Despite herself, Starfire felt afraid. There was no one here to help her defeat the Gordanians. After her experience at the hands of the Gordanians last time, Starfire vowed never to let herself fall into their hands again.

"I believe we have some unfinished business to take care of, princess," one soldier said, lifting up his spear threatening.

Starfire's green eyes widened in fear.

 **-C-**

9:48pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

 _System back online._

The world around him flickered to life as his backup batteries took over. For a moment Cyborg stayed on the ground. His real eye opened slowly. He groaned and lifted a hand to his infrared eye. It was broken. At least that eye was replaceable.

The only problem was that he now couldn't see well in the dark. For all of those years he had taken infrared vision for granted. Now, when he needed it the most, it just _had_ to go out.

Cyborg sat up and checked his system to make sure that nothing else was wrong. His monitors said that all of his internal systems were fine, but that his vision was kaput. After glancing around at his surroundings he tried to use his GPS to pinpoint his location.

"What the hell…" he murmured, tapping the screen on his arm. "Come on…"

It wasn't working. He next tried to locate the other Titans through their communicators, but it seemed as though they were all offline. Where could they be? Unless everyone else was kidnapped as well, their communicators should at least be able to send out a signal.

Someone ran by in white robes.

"Brother Blood…"

Immediately he pushed himself to his feet and began to chase him. Without his shoulder lamps or his infrared eye to guide him through the dark Cyborg bumped his way through the building. It was a wonder that his quarry didn't hear him and sound the alarm. Cyborg rubbed his nose (which he just hit against a doorframe) and continued to chase Brother Blood.

He found himself running through a maze of corridors. Even though the power was shut off he could still detect Blood's movements through the use of his censors. As he ran he checked how much power he still had left in his system. Only a few more hours worth of power left before his system would shut down again.

Cyborg slowed down as he came to a closed door at the end of a hallway. He looked down at his sensors again. Brother Blood was waiting for him on the other side of the door. After taking a deep breath he pushed the door open.

"Why, Cyborg," Brother Blood said, his tone dastardly delighted, "how good to see you."

Rage filled every pore and mechanical cell of Cyborg's body as he stood in the doorway facing his arch enemy. Yes, Cyborg now considered Brother Blood his arch enemy. The man tried to brainwash him while he was at the HIVE Academy. It didn't take a genius to know that Blood was still pissed that Cyborg was the only person he wasn't able to brainwash.

The HIVE Headmaster stood alone in the empty room. Cyborg supposed that he should be suspecting a trap, but it wasn't as if he had anywhere else to go. For all he knew, this whole place could be a trap.

"Where are my friends?"

"They're having a little…get together…with some old friends." Brother Blood smirked. "Just like we're going now."

Anger surged through Cyborg. Robin was so wrapped up in his little theories that he barely considered the idea that Brother Blood was behind this. It angered Cyborg that it _was_ Brother Blood who was behind this.

The events leading up to this confrontation clicked together in his mind. Of course, ever since Blood took over the Academy he had planned this attack. He stole information about Slade from the previous HIVE Headmistress. He sent out Overload to the power plant, where he then made Overload cut the city's power as more of the dust infected the Titans. One of Blood's henchmen must have broken into the Tower and stole Slade's mask to get a sample of the dust.

"Where am I? Where are your goonies, huh?"

Cyborg looked around his dark prison. Now that he stopped to think about, why hadn't he seen any HIVE kids around? Brother Blood was more of a coward when it came to fights. Instead of fighting his own battles, Blood always used the HIVE kids to fight for him.

"That is inconsequential. "

Inconsequential? Nothing about this situation was inconsequential. This was a matter of life and death.

"Why am I here?" Cyborg demanded. "Who triggered the dust?"

"Why, I am the one who triggered the dust."

Brother Blood's face broke into a smirk as he said this. Robin asked this question all the time: who benefits? Of course the HIVE would benefit. After Cyborg's infiltration of the Academy it made sense that Brother Blood would be pissed.

"I knew it," Cyborg growled, crackling his fists. "It had to be you."  
"Who else would have done it? It was only too easy to goad you…Victor."

Cyborg's blood ran cold. The HIVE Headmaster smirked at Cyborg's dumbfounded expression and examined his nails.

"Oh please, don't act so _innocent._ It really was quite stupid of you to come to my school under your real name, Victor."

Cyborg hated the way Blood said his name. He also hated the fact that Blood was right. When Robin offered him the chance to work undercover Cyborg immediately created that hologram for himself. But he couldn't let Blood get to him like that. Robin said that Slade knew his secret identity and had allowed that to get to his head. It didn't matter if Blood knew Cyborg's secret identity. His friends were in trouble. He needed to help them.

"How did you trigger the dust? How do you know so much about my friends?"

"When you hacked into the HIVE database we hacked into you…and did a little research of our own. I thought it prudent to attack your leader first. The previous Headmistress left a considerable amount of information concerning the criminal mastermind Deathstroke and of his…obsession with the Boy Wonder." Brother Blood smirked. "And that poor boy thought that no one else knew…"

"Enough talking, Blood!"

Cyborg had to stick up for his friends. He _had_ to bring down Brother Blood. The Teen Titans had allowed him to roam free for far too long. This was the HIVE's class project: to screw around with the Teen Titans. Cyborg's lips thinned as his right arm transformed into a sonic cannon.

"You're going to pay for messing with my friends."

"Oh really?" Brother Blood raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to see you try."

 **-Rae-**

9:39pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

She saw the world in flames.

Each step that she took was another agonizing step into this desolate destroyed world that used to be her home. Jump City looked as if a thousand atomic bombs had hit it, but instead of incinerating the people grotesque statues lay scattered on the streets. Out in the bay Titans Tower lay in ruins in an ocean of molten lava.

 _It is not the end of the world,_ she thought angrily, _my birthday is not yet here…the time for opening the portal has not yet arrived._

Flaming red symbols burned over every inch of her body; the words of that terrible prophecy etched permanently into her skin. She could feel the heat of flames caress her pale skin and hear the shrill terrifying cries of her father's demon soldiers.

But it was all a lie.

It still terrified her that she couldn't see anything but flames. Even though she knew it was a lie she could understand why Robin acted the way he did when he was infected with the dust. Now that she was infected herself, it was all she could do _not_ to bloody panic. She withdrew into the confines of her cloak and shut her eyes tightly.

When she opened them again she saw the streets as they really were. Everything electronic was shut down, except for the few electronic devices now running on batteries. People were milling around in confusion, bumping into each other in the darkness. Raven didn't mind the darkness. Secretly, she thought it was cool. But no electricity meant that no one could turn on the lights to get rid of the nightmares.

Glass tinkled as someone smashed through a store window. She whipped her head around at a sudden noise. Several young men were throwing bricks through a large store window. What were these _idiots_ doing?

"Azarath Metrion Zin—"

Her incantation fell short as she saw Trigon tower over the city. Whatever words Raven planned to utter died in her throat. Trigon raised his arms towards the heavens and split the sky open. Demonic monsters flew in swarms towards him, the sound of their leathery wings buzzing loudly.

"Raven!"

She turned at the sound of her name. Several cop cars pulled up beside her, their headlights blinding the would-be thieves. Several thieves dropped what they were holding and ran for dear life. JCPD cops broke into a run after them, yelling hoarse commands for them to stop. Raven leaned against a wall with a hand to her head. A cop strode up to her, clearly uncomfortable that he had to talk to her instead of Robin.

"Are you feeling all right?" the cop asked. "Should I call an ambulance or—"

"I'm fine," she replied.

A shadow of doubt crossed the cop's face, but he stayed silent on the subject. Raven knew that she—and everyone else—should be at the hospital now, cleaning their nervous systems of the dust. Instead he changed the subject.

"Where are the rest of the Titans?"

"I don't know," she replied, massaging her forehead. "We've been separated."

Right before Raven had been torn away from the others she heard Robin cry out for them not to separate. The robots that attacked them in the dark captured and separated them all, so that no one could help each other. She remembered how the Robin managed to cure himself of the dust: a little light and a little common sense. Was there anything she could do to make them see the truth of their visions? Although, once infected with the dust there was nothing the victim wanted to do than run away from everyone. Raven glanced down at her glowing hands and grimaced.

"What happened? Are they okay?"

"I don't know."

The cop lifted his walkie-talkie to his mouth. "Chief, we have a problem."

Raven glanced back at the shattered store window as the cop relayed the information to the JCPD. That power outage did more than just turn the light off. Electricity must be down everywhere. Security must be down at every single major company in the city. The Jump City Maximum Security Prison's security must be in disarray.

"The most important thing to do right now is to power the city back up," she said.

"Overload fried everything. We can't just—"

 _"This is a matter of life and death!"_ Raven snapped. _"My friends have been infected with dust, and if you don't enable the power they—will—die!"_

The cop backed away, the expression on his face unnerved. Raven was aware of just how creepy and angry she sounded, but she didn't care. The perpetrator knew that he couldn't personally hurt Raven—so he decided to hurt all the people she loved instead. She forced herself to calm down.

"I'm sorry. I've been infected too, and I'm struggling to keep my sanity."

"What should we do?" Johnson asked.

Inside, Raven flinched as everyone turned to look at her. She didn't like being placed in the position of leader. Raven didn't trust herself enough. What if she made a wrong decision? What if she wasn't able to save her friends in time?

She also didn't know what to do.

The Titans could be anywhere in the city. Hell, they could be outside the city for all Raven knew. But if all they needed was a little light to see the truth, then maybe the JCPD could bring in floodlights or…something. She would find a way to make this right.

"Find a way to bring light into the city. I'm going back to the Tower to contact the Justice League. They are supposed to come here and help."

That was the most important thing to do right now. It wasn't their fault that they weren't here yet—Superman did mention that they were going to stop by Gotham City first. No one knew when the perpetrator would strike next. Raven allowed her soul-self to envelop her as she flew off in the direction of Titans Tower.

Even though the electricity was probably down at the Tower too Raven knew that Cyborg built backup generators. Once she powered up the backup generators (which she knew _wasn't_ fried by Overload's sparkling spree) she planned to contact the Justice League.

 **-BW-**

10:47pm

Gotham City

Arkham Asylum

Batman ran.

He followed the sound of the Joker's laughter echoing through the trees. The cold wet air permeated his lungs and soaked his uniform, but Batman didn't care. He didn't care about anything else except the Joker. Here was undeniable proof that the Joker was out wreaking havoc in Gotham.

As he neared a clearing he saw the Joker standing on top of a large boulder, examining his nails as he stood there waiting. The madman looked up at the sound of Batman approaching. His eyes widened in gleeful anticipation.

"Hello there, Bats," the Joker said, waving at him, "I thought I heard someone following me."

Just the sight of him almost brought foam to Batman's mouth. How had the Joker gotten out of Arkham and _not_ triggered the alarms? Where were the dead bodies? The party favors? Or was the Joker simply messing with him before delivering the final punch line?

"What are you planning?" Batman growled.

"Oh stop being such a worry-wort. It took you long enough to figure out that Clayface was only a distraction. Now that I have your attention, I guess I'll reveal my plan."

The Joker took something out of his pocket. As Batman squinted he saw that it was the ragged "R" from Robin's uniform. His heart nearly stopped beating. His eyes went from the "R" to the Joker's face and then back again. There was no way… _no_ way that the Joker did that.

"Robin's in Jump City—"

"Oh really? All that drama with the dust…such a thing to put such a young boy through. When I heard about it I thought that bird boy could use a visit home." A wide, wicked smile spread across the Joker's face. "So I decided to bring him home."

With a roar of anger Batman lunged forward towards the Joker. Abandoning all rationale, he decided to confront the Joker head on. That's what he did last time they confronted. All of the rage he felt when he learned of Robin's predicament came out that night he faced the Joker.

The Joker ducked and dodged Batman's fists, laughing all the while. Was it just Batman, or had the Joker gotten faster since they last fought.

The Joker managed to punch him hard in the face. Batman stumbled back, momentarily disorientated. Since when had he gotten so slow? The Joker may be insane, but he wasn't a fighter. Still laughing, the Joker used Batman's pause to hit him again.

"What do you hope to accomplish from this, Bats?" he asked, shoving Batman back to the ground. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

 _"Where is Robin?"_

"Now…now…let's not be too hasty. Your baby bird is fine…for the moment." The Joker pulled out a pack of cards and began to shuffle them. "I'm sure you've noticed my little cards and birthday presents all around Gotham. Let's play a little game, shall we? Each of these presents are located in famous landmarks around Gotham. Each present contains a puzzle piece. Put the puzzle pieces together and you will have the location of your little birdie-bird."

The present. So Batman _hadn't_ been imagining things when he saw that present in the alleyway. He should have opened it when he had the chance. Then he would be one step closer to finding out where Robin was being held.

"Ah, doesn't this bring back memories, Batsy?" The Joker asked. "Remember when I used to kidnap your kid all the time? It used to drive you so nuts."

Well, it _still_ drove him nuts. Batman wouldn't allow anyone else to get hurt. He still felt partly responsible for allowing Dick to fall into Deathstroke's trap. He should have stopped Dick from leaving Gotham, he should have taught him better, he should have—

"Tell. Me. Where. He is."

"Oh Batsy, that's no fun. Ya know, I thought about killing him many times just to mess with you. You always have a few spare kids hanging around." The Joker's tone changed from easy going to serious. "This time I mean to bring Gotham to its knees. And if that means killing bird-boy, then _I will do it."_

"You're not going to get away with this—"

"Oh, but I already have. And, one more thing: you only got three hours to find them before I start leaving pieces of bird-boy for you to find."

The Joker threw his head back and began to laugh that grating hysterical laugh. It was that psychotic laugh that haunted Batman's nightmares and kept him up at night. It was the sound of a madman in triumph, of a man who simply wanted to watch the world burn.

"Batman?"

Two orderlies dressed in blue scrubs and jackets stepped into the clearing. They held flashlights in their hands and shone them at the dark knight. Batman flung an arm over his face to block the light. Great, just great, what a way to ruin his night vision.

"We saw smoke and Dr. Arkham asked us to see what it was," one orderly, a burly man with a bald head, said, "it came from the Batmobile. Is everything all right?"

Everything all right? No, everything wasn't all right. Robin was in trouble and it was all the Joker's fault. Batman's first hunch about the dust was correct: the perpetrator was using it to get to Batman. And how could they not see the truth in front of their eyes? Did they not hear the sound of the Joker's godawful laugh? Wasn't that why they came?

" _STOP HIM!"_ Batman shouted, pointing towards the Joker.

Startled, the orderlies directed the beams of light towards the boulder. To Batman's great surprise no one was standing on top of the boulder. There was nothing there except moss and air. Confusion filled him as he stared at the empty boulder. If anything, the Joker should have been visible in the light.

"Stop who?" the second orderly asked.

"The Joker!" Batman snapped. "I saw him running through the trees! He's here! Now!"

The two orderlies exchanged started glances. Gulping, the first orderly who spoke gathered up his courage to talk to Batman.

"Batman, the Joker is locked up. If he had escaped I think there would be more of us out here looking for him."

Snorting, Batman glared at the two orderlies. What did they know? They were only hired grunts here to keep the pyschos in Arkham. They weren't trained like he was. No matter how much time they spent with the Joker in Arkham they would never know the Joker like he did.

He was wasting time.

"No, I saw him. He's masterminded a plot to kill Robin and I need to stop him!"

To his own surprise, Batman found himself sounding a little hysterical. He wasn't panicking, but his growl grew rougher as he spoke. The poor orderlies noticed this sudden change and proceeded with the utmost caution.

"Batman, calm down!" the second orderly said. "We heard the news about Jump City. Just because the Titans are missing doesn't mean that—"

"I don't have time for this."

"Batman, you can see the Joker for yourself," the first orderly said, beginning to sound nervous. "We'll take you to him."

Batman turned and loomed over the two orderlies, fury evident in every syllable of his words. He wasn't just furious at the fact that the Joker had escaped. He was furious at himself for not noticing the warnings in time. He was furious that whoever triggered the dust in Jump City was winning. Bruce held himself to high standards.

He wasn't going to fail now.

"I don't need to waste time going to Arkham. I saw the Joker with my own eyes. That's all the proof I need. If I were you, I would go right back and tell Dr. Arkham that the Joker has escaped."

He ignored their desperate pleas as he raced back towards the Batmobile. Batman only had a few hours to collect all of the puzzle pieces hidden around the city before the Joker began to torture Robin. If he ran into the JLA then by God he would get them to help. If they thought he was crazy—no, no he wasn't crazy.

He was just determined.

 **-R-**

9:37pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

A television screen flickered on. Robin forced his breathing to slow as he looked up at the screen. Wasn't the entire city under a blackout? How could this be powered? Unless…of course, the perpetrator meant for this to happen.

 _What is this?_ Robin thought, confused. _What's going on?_

Slade's face appeared on the television. Instead of sitting down to watch Robin got up and began to search the small room. As long as he had light around he wouldn't hallucinate. As his eyes adjusted to the light he saw that the walls were made of metal. Unlike his room in Slade's haunt, however, he could see the outline of a door. Immediately he went up to it and pressed his hands against the door, but it wouldn't budge.

 _No…no…come_ on! He thought, pushing harder against the door. _I have to get out of here…_

Robin realized that nothing he did would make that door open. Slowly, he turned towards the television screen. So far Slade's words had gone over his head. If this was meant to scare him, then it wouldn't work. As he listened to what Slade had to say, however, his heart sank even lower in his chest.

"It seems so real, doesn't it?" Slade said. "Being the clever boy that you are, I knew that you would be able to resist the effects of the dust in my mask and figure out how to defeat your own imagination. It was a simple test of wills, and you passed. Congratulations.

"All this time you were probably wondering 'who benefits?' since I know that is how the Bat taught you to think. None of this is for my benefit, Dick. This is all about you.

"You see, I have thought long and hard about how I let you get away. Then I thought of a more secure way to keep you as my apprentice: you injected the probes into yourself to save your friends. I will admit that my plan was flawed. It was something I should have foreseen. At the same time I admired your quick thinking. It was clever. But as I said before: the Titans are holding you back.

"Right now each one of the Titans and your dear guardian Bruce Wayne has inhaled the dust. Wayne has inhaled a rather special strain…one that acts more slowly so that he and the pesky Justice League would not notice right away. Thanks to Terra's infiltration, I was able to secure the necessary information to plan a way to torment your friends in the worst ways possible. I wanted you to see how they were holding you back…how Wayne was holding you back. Once my agents attacked them all your team became useless. That is why you must not work with a team or even with…a partner. Not even a partner as skilled as Bruce Wayne.

"This time, Dick, you cannot put yourself in harm's way to save them. They are not as strong-willed as you are. They will succumb to the torments of the dust and there is nothing you can do to stop it.

"You see, dear boy, you and your friends acted exactly as I predicted. Who triggered the chemical reagent? Why, you did. I know you cannot let me go, especially after our pleasant but brief time as master and apprentice. Although Terra is my apprentice I wanted you first. Terra was also kind enough to go through the evidence room and plant a motion sensor in my mask. Once you touched my mask it triggered a motion sensor to the first agent, who then triggered the dust. As you may have noticed, things began to escalate from there. Overload conveniently provided a massive power outage, so your friends cannot turn on the lights to escape from their nightmares. By the time dawn arrives they will all be dead by their own hands.

"I will arrive shortly to administer the antidote to you, since you regrettably had to be infected as well. Don't even think about trying to escape. You can't escape this room. I made sure of that. Besides, the dust should keep you occupied long enough."

The message ended.

The lights flickered off, leaving Robin in complete darkness.

The imaginary Slade shoved Robin to the ground, but Robin didn't try to resist. Numb horror enveloped him. Everything made sick sense. _How_ could Robin not have foreseen this? He understood Slade's twisted logic better than anyone and the same time he understood almost nothing about the man. He had been thinking too narrowly, too much like a good guy.

Hopelessness infused every pore in his body. If Slade was truly dead, then no one would be coming. No one would know he was here, alone in the dark with nothing but this nightmarish monster for company. Robin put his hands over his head and began to sob. He almost wished that Slade was alive. At least then there would be someone to meet, someone to beat, someone other than himself to blame for this.

Who benefits?

 _I do,_ Robin thought, shaking in horror. _I benefit._

* * *

 **A/N:** *grins evilly*

You guys have no idea how long I've been waiting to post this chapter. It's just…yeah, I've been writing towards this one scene for a LONG time. These are the scenes I've been envisioning since the very beginning of this story. This is the reason why I wanted to explore the problems of the other Titans instead of just Robin: BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL INFECTED WITH THE DUST.

As I was thinking about who triggered the dust my first idea when I started writing was the Joker. I thought long and hard about who would be smart enough to mess with people like this...especially within the actual episode. Then I realized: who else would be cool enough to trigger the dust? Slade himself. He doesn't have to be alive to screw with people this well. Then somehow this turned into another apprentice story. Slade's twisted logic is so much fun to play around with…and so is screwing around with everyone's heads.

Of course, half of you probably expected something like this to happen. Hell, this story is labeled under "Robin and Slade" for a reason. But for me the most important thing was making everyone lose their minds. I spent so much time building up to this point that I was afraid you guys wouldn't like this twist once I revealed who was behind the dust. And since Slade's REALLY dead, how will everyone survive?

Review…if you dare.


	26. Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** LOST: the rights to Teen Titans and DC comics. If you happen to find them, please contact me via email or private message.

**Disclaimer:** LOST: the rights to Teen Titans and DC comics. If you happen to find them, please contact me via email or private message.

 **A/N:** I have a feeling that this story is getting a little too crowded…but oh well. I kind of planned it to be that way.

Also, a lot of people are asking me about what college I go to….hmm…shall I tell you? Probably not. It's a small school, so you stalkers might actually be able to find me. The most specific I will get is this: I attend a private, Christian liberal arts college somewhere in…um…the United States.

Titansfan1211 and Muddie: I got lucky this semester and have no class until 9:15am on MWF and 10:00am on Tues/Thursday. So I'm a lazy bum when it comes to getting up early.

* * *

"I must not fear. Fear is the mindkiller. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it is gone I will turn my inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

-Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear

Frank Herbert, Dune 

* * *

Chapter 25: Fear

 **-CK-**

11:20pm

Gotham City

Arkham Asylum

Superman flew through the cold air, squinting down at the asylum grounds for signs of Batman. Wonder Woman followed him closely in her invisible jet. It had only taken them mere minutes for both of them to fly here, but it felt like forever.

"Look at the smoke over there," she said, pointing. "Was there a car accident?"

Both of them landed in the road. Smoke still curled from the Batmobile, which meant that Batman was still around somewhere. As Superman strode to the Batmobile to get a closer look Wonder Woman crossed her arms over her chest.

"I thought we told him not to go to Arkham," Wonder Woman said.

"This is Bruce we're talking about."

The Batmobile didn't look too damaged. It looked as if Batman just skidded to a halt in the middle of the road, judging from the skid marks on the road. Clark wasn't a detective, but he wasn't stupid. Why did Batman stop? If he was so intent on seeing the Joker, then why did he stop?

"Just because he is who he is doesn't make this any better," Wonder Woman replied. "He's going to get himself killed one day."

"All I want to do is find him," Clark said, "and get to the bottom of this whole mess. Bruce is Bruce, but he wouldn't abandon Clayface like that."

With his supersonic hearing, Clark heard the sound of running feet coming towards them before he actually saw the owners coming. Both of them turned to see two orderlies from Arkham running down the road. Mud splattered their scrubs and the rain plastered their hair to their foreheads. Their terrified faces brightened at the sight of Superman and Wonder Woman.

"Superman!" the bald one exclaimed. "Wonder Woman! Thank God!"

"What's happening?" Superman asked. "Has there been a breakout?"

"Of course not. Your buddy Batman has been acting like one of our loonies. He keeps talking about the Joker's evil plot to…I don't even know. He's out of his mind."

"No," Superman said, "he hasn't lost his mind. I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for his behavior. Don't worry, we'll take care of him."

Unlike Bruce, who always assumed the worst, Clark liked to think positive. While other members like Ollie would claim that Bruce went truly batty Clark knew that there must be a logical explanation for Bruce's behavior.

Clark scanned the surrounding area with his X-ray vision. It took him a few seconds to spot a man in a cape and cowl running through the trees.

"What's he doing over there?" Clark asked out loud, confused. "If he wanted to see the Joker, why would he be out there?"

Superman cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled into the night.

" _Batman! Come out!"_

Even though Bruce didn't have supersonic hearing like Clark did, the Batman should still be able to hear him. Drizzle tickled Clark's face as he stood in the slight rain, waiting for Bruce to come back. His annoyance with Bruce threatened to turn into anger.

"I'm going in there," Wonder Woman said.

"Hold it," Clark said, holding out a hand. "We don't want to get him angry."

A dark shadow emerged from the trees that Clark could only assume was Bruce. Gotham's Dark Knight strode out of the treeline, his shoulders hunched and his eyes darting about furtively. He lifted his head and looked towards the Batmobile. Batman visibly stiffened when he caught sight of Superman and Wonder Woman.

"Why didn't you answer our calls?" Superman asked.

Batman merely glared at him. What the hell was Bruce's problem? Why was he under the impression that the Joker escaped Arkham? There were so many questions that needed answering.

"Why are you here?" he growled. "I have things I need to do."

"Batman, this business that you have with the Joker can wait. The League and I have agreed that we're going to Jump."

To emphasize his point, Clark reached out and forcefully made Batman face him. He really didn't like using force to get a point across, but it had to be done. Why would Bruce not want to hear about what was happening in Jump City? Robin and the other Titans were in trouble!

"The Joker is free!" Batman said. "I have to stop him. Go to Jump yourself."

Batman's cold tone brought an expression of shock to Clark's face. This wasn't like Bruce at all! Clark's anxiety for his friend only grew.

"You can't just—"

Was it just Clark, or did something feel wrong? He barely heard what Wonder Woman said next as he began to feel woozy. Funny, this was exactly the way he felt when—

Kryptonite!

Almost instantly Clark crumpled as Batman thrust out the glowing green rock in the Kryptonian's face. _Well,_ Clark thought, _Dick wasn't kidding when he said Batman carried around some Kryptonite._

"I said: stay out of this, Clark!" Batman growled.

Dizziness overcame Clark as the effects of the Kryptonite overcame him. The indestructible Man of Steel steadied himself on weak arms as he fought back vomit. Water dripped from his spit curl as he bowed his head, breathing heavily as his lungs constricted tightly in his massive chest. He always thought it was funny that a glowing piece of alien rock from his home world could kill him.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Wonder Woman demanded. "Batman, you can't just—"

"You stay out of this too!"

Batman thrust the Kryptonite closer to Clark's face. Darkness caressed the edges of his vision. Clark thought that he just might pass out. Despite the pain, he lifted his head and spoke.

"At…at least tell us what's going on."

As much as he hated to admit it, Clark found himself completely at Batman's mercy. That a was a good-sized chunk of Kryptonite Luthor would just _love_ to get his hands on. Where did Batman get it? Wonder Woman hesitated to move, as though afraid that she would send Bruce over the edge.

"The Joker's been behind the dust in Jump City. Now he's holding Robin captive."

None of this made sense. Unless Dick hopped on a plane to Gotham a few hours ago, then Clark was pretty sure that he was still in Jump City. Now Batman was acting just plain irrational.

"The orderlies told us that the Joker is locked up," Wonder Woman said, "and we all know that Robin's in Jump City."

" _I saw him myself!"_ Batman roared. "I don't care if you believe he's behind bars. I saw him. I'm going to bring him to justice."

Wonder Woman put herself between Batman and Superman and raised her fists threateningly. For once Diana's face wasn't smiling. Superman saw the raw power and emotion that only an Amazon woman was born with in her stance.

"Stand. Down."

Batman ran headlong into Wonder Woman. The two began to fight each other. There was nothing Clark could do but watch them fight and wonder who would come out victorious. Although an ordinary man, Bruce could outwit Dianna. At the same time Dianna wasn't stupid. She could hold her own.

Clark rolled over onto his back and looked up at the cloudy sky, allowing the rain to fall down on his face. Everything was going so wrong. They had a plan to help the Titans, a plan that could have worked beautifully. Bile rose up his throat again as Batman shoved the Kryptonite towards him.

"Stop, Diana," Batman growled, placing the Kryptonite mere inches from Clark's face.

Wonder Woman paused. After a moment Batman began to run back towards the Batmobile, placing the Kryptonite back into his utility belt. As Batman hurried away Clark's head began to clear. He breathed heavily as if he just had an asthmatic attack. Clark rubbed his aching temple. Wonder Woman picked herself up out of the mud and offered Clark a hand.

"I think," Clark said as Wonder Woman pulled him to his feet, "that we're going to need backup."

 **-BB-**

9:55pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

" _Help!"_ Beast Boy screamed. "Someone! Anyone!"

He pounded his fists against the walls, but to no avail. There was no one here to help him. Slade battered him like a personal punching bag.

He tried to think of a solution. What was wrong with him? Yes, he was afraid, but above all he felt confused. Beast Boy knew that he wasn't crazy, but all of the pain he felt now felt so real. For once there was nothing funny he could think of to help himself cope.

A plethora of emotions overwhelmed him as Slade continued to pound him to the ground. If anything, Beast Boy never expected Slade to end up becoming something like his arch-enemy. Now that he thought about it, his hatred for Slade and what he did to Terra rivaled that of Robin's. The Brotherhood of Evil was way bad, but Beast Boy didn't really hold a grudge against the Brain or Mallah or Madame Rouge. No, all they wanted to do was destroy them. Slade, on the other hand, wanted to destroy the Teen Titans _with style._

"Why are you doing this?" Beast Boy demanded. "You don't benefit!"

That was the question Robin kept asking himself over and over again. It drove Beast Boy crazy to hear him say those words, but now he wished that he had been helping Robin. Had Slade already killed the others? No…even if he did kill the others Beast Boy knew that he wouldn't kill Robin. Was Slade planning to kill him now?

"If you must know, Logan," Slade said, "I've been hired by the Brotherhood of Evil to assassinate all members of the Doom Patrol."

 _No…_

"But…Terra…"

"Do you really want to talk about her?" Slade asked in a snide voice. "Didn't think so. As it so happens, I've also been asked to bring you in to the Brotherhood of Evil. I'm sure you'll have a happy family reunion once they're through with you."

First Terra and now this? He couldn't kill the Doom Patrol…why would he? Mento…and Rita…Larry, Robotman—they could take Slade down!

" _You can't kill them!"_ Beast Boy shouted, now beginning to panic. "You can't defeat Mento! You can't—"

"Dear child, I can defeat the entire Justice League with nothing but my brains and a laser pointer." Beast Boy threw himself to the side as Slade kicked at him. "And when there is no one left you'll die as well."

Beast Boy tried to shape-shift again, but Slade smacked him across the jaw. Despite himself, Beast Boy was beginning to feel tired. No matter how many times he tried to convince himself that he would do well in the whole "solo-hero" thing he supposed that he knew it would never work out. He was so used to fighting with a team…

He had to warn Steve about the attack. Beast Boy briefly remembered the time he last fought alongside the Doom Patrol. Mento wouldn't appreciate him taking the time to go and warn them. Last time he didn't appreciate it when Beast Boy decided to save the Doom Patrol instead of going after the Brain and the Monkey.

Beast Boy closed his eyes.

 **-OQ-**

11:29pm

Gotham City

Crime Ally

Green Arrow crouched low on the rooftop and pulled back his bow. A trickle of blood ran down his forehead and stained the collar of his uniform. While he considered himself fast and efficient archer one of Black Mask's men managed to graze his skull with a bullet.

So while he wanted some payback, Green Arrow knew that Clayface was the bigger problem. How the hell did Bruce manage to bring this guy down on his own? _Without_ super powers? Green Lantern hovered above Clayface and directed his ring's power into a sledgehammer.

Three of Black Mask's men were pinned to the wall, special thanks to the great GA himself. One of these men had a briefcase of money handcuffed to his wrist. They watched the fight with mouths open wide in surprise. Sure, they probably expected Batman to show, but not the friggin' _Justice League._

 _You know what, Bruce,_ he thought scathingly, _why do I always have to clean up your messes?_

"Ollie!"

Green Arrow swore under his breath as Clark's booming voice caused him to let go of the bow. The arrow flew awkwardly in the wrong direction. It landed in a billboard advertisement for toothpaste. Grimacing in annoyance, Green Arrow picked up his communicator and pressed the call button.

"What is it now, Supes?" he asked.

"Batman is acting insane. He just took me down with Kryptonite."

"Hold on, _what?"_

Ollie momentarily forgot the battle that was taking place down below. Now he knew that Bruce could act a little crazy now and then, but he just took down Superman with _kryptonite?_ That made no sense. Even for Bruce.

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Before he left Arkham he talked about the Joker's plot to kill Robin. I need one or two of you to find him. He's running around Gotham somewhere."

"Aw hell."

Green Arrow looked back down towards Clayface. By all accounts he, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter should be able to take this guy down fast. Bruce had no powers and was able to stop him. J'onn could be just as powerful as Clark if he wanted to.

"Robin's in Jump City. What co—"

"Don't argue, Ollie. He's dangerous and needs to be stopped." Clark paused. "Hold on, I'll call you later. I'm getting an incoming transmission from Jump City."

As Clark turned off his communicator Ollie sighed in annoyance. Well, Bruce was bound to snap one day. It just had to be the same night that the Titans were all attacked. He briefly thought of his previous sidekick Speedy, who moved out to the West Coast when he decided to split. God, that kid better be helping the Titans out.

Martian Manhunter pulled out from the fight and hovered before Ollie.

"I will go find him," J'onn said. "I will try to access his mind to see what is wrong with him. Perhaps I will be able to—"

"GO!" Ollie shouted. "GL and I can handle this!"

As J'onn flew over him Green Arrow nocked another arrow to his bow. He aimed it towards Clayface, who was locked in an intense battle with Green Lantern. With just a little bit of chaos and paranoia everything was just thrown into disorder. The Titans were God knows where while Batman finally snapped like a rubber band. Ollie didn't like that. His two front fingers pulled back the bow.

"Playtime's over, Hagen."

 **-BW-**

11:31pm

Gotham City

Wayne Tower

People scrambled out of the way as the Batmobile screeched to a halt at the bottom of Wayne Tower, home of Wayne Enterprises. Some of the younger kids out and about at this time of night lifted up their cell phones to take a picture of Gotham's legendary Dark Knight. He ignored them.

He felt miffed.

Why did Clark insist on going back to Wayne Manor? While he did want to go to Jump City the Joker posed an immediate threat. Not only to Gotham, but to Dick as well.

Although he clearly remembered seeing a present in Crime Ally, he couldn't find it when he went back to look. Instead of wasting time looking back for it Batman decided to focus on Gotham's famous landmarks. He strode to the wide double doors, where there was a present waiting for him. A sudden thought crossed his mind. Batman stopped in his tracks. Did the Joker know his identity?

No, that was impossible. The Joker admitted that he would never pull off Batman's mask. He liked the mystery of the man behind the mask. Still, Batman always held that sliver of doubt in his mind. It would be stupid to dismiss the possibility.

He looked up at Wayne Tower. Why he had decided to check here first? For some reason, it just felt like natural instinct to want to come here. Out of all of the famous landmarks in Gotham City Bruce knew this one the best. Wayne Enterprises was one of Gotham's pride and joys.

Batman picked up the present and unwrapped it carefully. Inside of the box, as promised, was a giant puzzle piece. He lifted it out of the box to get a closer look at it.

 _Bruce…_ a deep voice in his head spoke. _Where are you?_

"Get out of my head, J'onn!" Batman growled. "Everything is under control."

He looked down at the puzzle piece. It was completely black except for a large white "W" that obviously stood for Wayne Enterprises. A new wave of fear rushed over him. His fear that the Joker had finally puzzled out his secret identity seemed more evident than ever.

 _What is wrong?_ J'onn asked. _Come back to Wayne Manor and let's talk this over—_

"There's nothing to talk about."

If it was even possible, his irritation with the Justice League grew. While J'onn's telepathic skills were good for communication, it bothered Bruce that J'onn could get into his head so easily. He clutched the puzzle piece tightly in his gloved hand. Batman unlocked the doors of Wayne Enterprises and stepped inside.

Someone laughed.

Looking up, Batman saw someone dressed in a purple suit dash across an upper hallway. The Joker leaned on the railing and waved down at him. He held a cardboard cutout of Bruce Wayne, which he disfigured with a permanent sharpie mustache.

"Hello Batsy," the Joker called out, his voice echoing in the large anteroom. "Having fun yet?"

If anything, Batman's anger only grew. He personally made sure that Wayne Enterprises was upgraded with the latest security measures. Only two people knew the passwords—himself and Lucius Fox. Perhaps he should have had Lucius upgrade the security systems sooner.

"How did you get in?"

"Magic." The Joker looked at the sharpie in his hand with mild interest. "Wanna see me make this pen disappear?"

Batman flung a bat-a-rang towards the Joker. Instead of hitting its intended target, the bat-a-rang sliced off the head of the Bruce Wayne cardboard cutout. The head fell softly to the floor as the Joker ran away laughing. With his great cape fluttering out behind him, Batman practically flew up the stairs to the second floor, leaping up three steps at a time.

There were so many questions on his mind, and not all of them good. As usual, the Joker laughed as he ran away gleefully from Batman. Batman's boots made loud echoing noises as he chased the Joker through the large empty hallway. He saw the Joker turn into a room, so he followed.

They were in the conference where he had had his meeting earlier today. It looked cold and empty without people in it. Even in the dim light he could see the outline of his arch-enemy. The Joker sat at the head of the table with his fingertips touching, a mock-serious expression on his face. His cold eyes and white teeth glinted through the darkness, reminding Batman of an evil version of the Chesire Cat.

"Doesn't it just drive ya nuts, Batsy?" the Joker asked, chuckling to himself. "That you can't figure this out?"

Slowly, menacingly, Batman walked around the table towards the Joker. How did the Joker get to Wayne Enterprises so fast? Did he have a car? A team of goons to command? If he did, then this was even worse than Batman thought.

"I brought you down," Batman said, "you were locked up in Arkham."

"So I was. But honestly, Bats, what makes you think that Dr. Arkham's funny pjs and padded rooms could hold me in?"

They were mere feet away from each other. Batman stopped to stare at the Joker, almost afraid to take a step forward. Instead of waiting for Batman to make the first move, the Joker got up out of the chair and walked up to the Dark Knight.

"You and I are destined to dance forever."

Batman wasn't sure how long he could contain his self-control. This was his arch-enemy, the madman who danced with glee as he murdered and tortured people. This man was responsible for the death of hundreds of people, and now Dick might be added to that list. He couldn't let that happen. He _wouldn't_ let that happen.

"I'm going to ask you once," Batman growled, "where is Robin?"

"I'm sure you've asked me that more than once." The Joker took out something from behind his back. "But since you're not playing my little game, then perhaps we should play another."

Before Batman had time to react something hard hit his head. He stumbled backwards, his head reeling as his vision went out of focus. Blackness clouded his vision as he fell against the long conference table, his head spinning with sudden pain. The Joker held a crowbar.

"You know what this game is called?" The Joker asked. _"Hit the Batman piñata!"_

He drifted into unconsciousness.

 **-R-**

10:07pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

Robin crawled away.

For once he couldn't think of a way to save himself. It seemed as though his imagination had come back to finish him off. Even though he now knew that this was all in his mind it still looked and felt so real.

There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

He reached out and groped in the dark for something to hold on as Slade grabbed a hold of his foot. His fingers slid across the floor as he felt himself being dragged backwards, as if the monster under his bed finally caught him. A momentary flash of panic overcame him. He twisted his body so that he was facing Slade, who held him by an ankle.

His legs kicked against Slade's armored chest as he tried to fight back. Although Robin knew that this was his imagination, it seemed as though his fear was now swallowing him up whole. It sickened him to his stomach that Slade was behind all of this. Of course, the man probably planned on being alive for the whole shebang, but that didn't make this situation any less dangerous.

"We've been needing to talk for a long time," Slade said, grabbing a fistful of Robin's hair. "About a lot of things."

Try as he might, Robin forced himself not to fight or talk back. Yes, he was afraid, but not only for himself. He was frightened for the sanity of the other Titans, who were all infected with the dust. And, of course, he was frightened for Bruce's sanity, which was precarious enough as it was. Did he ever mention to him how to defeat the dust? Was he running around Gotham now wreaking havoc? Probably. The Justice League seemed to be on the East Coast still. While they had a dust-infected Bruce to deal with they might never come to Jump City in time.

"I thought I told you before," Slade growled, slamming Robin's face against the wall, "that when I ask a question I expect an answer."

Even through the pain Robin was dimly aware of many things. He was aware of Slade speaking incomprehensible words to him, of the way the cold metal wall felt against his hot cheek and of a pounding headache. He tried to think of other things, of happier things that had nothing to do with Slade. Emotionally detach himself from what was happening. That was one of the techniques he used during his time as Slade's apprentice to help himself cope with the utter loneliness and despair he felt. Yet he couldn't help but formulate a reply.

"We have nothing to talk about," Robin growled. "You know I'll never join you."

"Of course I know that," Slade replied, "but that doesn't mean that I can't talk to my favorite apprentice."

Slade picked him up and shoved him against the wall. Stars popped in front of Robin's eyes as his head snapped back and hit the wall. Nothing about this was right at all. While Slade did beat him before it was never without a reason. As long as Robin did nothing wrong Slade wouldn't lay a hand on him or his friends. Even that terrible beating Slade administered to him on camera wasn't without a reason. Although he would always talk down to him Robin knew that he could handle that...but this...this was going to lead to a murder.

"Stop…" he murmured. "Please…stop…"

His feet dangled beneath him as Slade held him up against the wall. Another wave of humiliation washed over him, causing his cheeks to burn bright red. Slade hadn't even done a number on him yet and he was already begging for him to stop. Why? Because he knew what would happen if he kept fighting. He would never win a fight against his worst nightmare.

Robin doubled over with his hands to his stomach. Memories of his apprenticeship came back to him in overpowering waves. Aside from his previous brush with the dust, Robin had never been beaten so badly before by Slade. Darkness clouded his vision, but for some reason he couldn't black out. He wanted to black out. He wanted to go to sleep and never wake up until everything was back to normal. Robin felt himself drift close to unconsciousness…he became unsure as to what was memory, what was reality, and what was a hallucination.

" _Alone again, Robin?" Slade asked, stepping out of the darkness. "As long as I'm around, you are never alone."_

 _At the sight of Slade Robin began to thrash in his bonds. Why had the Titans strapped him down like a mental patient? For a few moments Slade stood over him and watched him struggle, knowing full well that he was in control of the situation. For a brief moment he hated his friends for strapping him down like this. They were his friends, so why would they do such a thing?_

" _Please…" Robin said, allowing his head to fall upon the pillow of the hospital bed, "just leave me alone."_

 _He knew that the others were in the other room monitoring his vital signs via the probes connected to his head. If only they could step into the room and see the truth for themselves. He hated how weak and vulnerable he felt just lying here strapped to a hospital bed, now completely at Slade's mercy._

" _Relax, Robin," Slade said, his tone calm and soothing, "I promise: you won't feel a thing."_

 _What the_ hell _was Slade holding in his hand? Robin's eyes widened as he realized that the object in Slade's hand was glowing with electricity. His heart began to thump madly against his ribcage as Slade came closer._

 _As Slade came close Robin jerked convulsively in a desperate effort to free himself. An electric shock coursed through his body as his hand brushed against the electric device. It was agony—his muscles tensed painfully as his hands formed involuntarily fists. Red filled his vision as the pain overtook him, so bad that he couldn't even force himself to scream._

" _I told you to relax."_

 _Robin opened his eyes as Slade began to cut through the straps holding him down. He looked up Slade, utter confusion on his face. Then he realized what he must have done—in his flailing his hand must have brushed the device while Slade was trying to cut through the straps._

 _As soon as one hand was free he reached for Slade's throat. The older man caught his wrist easily and didn't let go. Sweat poured down Robin's face as he tried to wrench his hand away, his other hand still awkwardly strapped down._

" _Why are you doing this?" Robin asked through gritted teeth._

" _A simple thank you would suffice," Slade replied, "unless of course you want to be strapped down."_

 _The bottom line was that Robin didn't trust Slade. Did Slade feel guilty about beating the snot out of helpless victim? Was he releasing him so that he could hit him again and again?_

" _I'm not afraid of you."_

 _Robin's voice shook as he said this. He knew that Slade would catch the fear evident in his voice, but he stubbornly denied his fear. The mercenary yanked Robin a little closer so that they were mere inches from each other's faces._

" _Your friends believe that you are insane, Richard. Why else would they strap you down like a mental patient?" Slade let go of Robin's hand and held out his own. "They don't trust you. They're holding you back. I won't do the same to you."_

 _Robin looked down at the hand Slade offered him. Once before Slade had offered him that hand of partnership, but back then he didn't have much of a choice. For a moment Robin felt swayed by Slade's words. His friends_ had _knocked him out and strapped him down. Sure, he would have expected something like that from Slade, but from the Titans?_

 _Then another thought struck him. Nothing Slade had done up to this point made Robin_ want _to join him voluntarily. Instead of shaking Slade's hand Robin put a hand to his utility belt and pulled out a bird-a-rang._

" _Suit yourself," Slade said, turning around._

 _He disappeared into the darkness while Robin sawed away the other bonds as quickly as he could. On the other side of the door he heard the other Titans exchange startled shouts. Robin leapt off of the bed and went to the computer. He would find Slade and bring him down, but he didn't need the Titans' help to do it. He put the Tower in quarantine protocol before escaping through the vent in the ceiling._

Robin's head spun as he came back to semi-consciousness. As soon as he realized that he was aware of his surroundings Slade began to attack him again.

"For instance," Slade said, slamming a boot down on Robin's back, "we never talked about that pretty alien princess you're so fond of."

Robin stopped moving.

 _Don't talk back,_ his conscience begged him, _stop talking…just stop talking…_

"Do you think I wouldn't have noticed?" Slade asked, stooping down to pick him up by the collar. "How you tried not to attack her when you broke into Wayne Enterprises?"

That was a question Robin asked himself again and again. He always wondered whether Slade noticed that he did that. Given the man's skilled powers of observation, Robin figured that Slade always knew. Just like how he always knew everything about him…

"I understand, of course, why you were reluctant to break into Wayne Enterprises. I had you steal from Wayne, the man you still profess to be your father."

Robin flung himself to the side as Slade kicked at him. He rolled over and sprang to his feet, trying desperately to figure out a way to stop himself from going insane and a way to avoid hurting himself. Slade threw several punches at him.

"But when you deliberately disobeyed me…refused to shoot the girl…I knew."

One of Slade's hands jabbed his throat before Robin could reply. Robin lifted his hands to massage his throat, which left everything else vulnerable. Slade took the opportunity to go on the offensive…again.

"Why don't you just…give up, Dick?" Slade asked. "Both of us know that I am the superior fighter. Once this is all over you will have no one left. No one except me."

Robin lay on the ground, his hands forming fists as he growled in frustration. Once before Slade had asked exactly that when Robin lay completely at his mercy. The reason that Robin never gave up was because that was the easy way out. The selfish way out.

He never tried to deliberately be a hero. It was just his personality that made him act like one. The way he grew up and the people he had lost at such a young age only made him cling onto the people he loved.

"No."

Even before Slade opened his mouth Robin knew what the man would say. It both frightened and annoyed him that he had long with Slade for so long that he could predict the man's thoughts and actions. Yet at the same time he knew so little about the man and the motivations that drove him forward. Slade laughed quietly under his breath.

"That's what I like about you," he said, "that spark. That unwillingness to give up." Slade laughed. "But sometimes you have to acknowledge the fact that you've been defeated."

 _Did you ever give up?_ Robin thought. _No. That's how it's gotten you to where you are today. You've never given up in your life._

"Yes, I have never given up," Slade said. "You're right about that. What differs is our motivations. Stop trying to lie to yourself about your so-called 'sense of righteousness.' When it comes to life-and-death situations like this it all comes down to pure animal instinct. The basics."

Robin rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, trying to breathe normally through his mouth. Blood trickled out of one of his nostrils. If he still lived with Slade, then Wintergreen would have come to stop Slade from beating him any further. In his annoyingly paternal way Slade would pull Robin to his feet, slap an ice pack on his bruises, and tell him to suck it up.

In a way, Robin wanted the old Slade back.

"So what do you expect me to do, Slade?" Robin asked bitterly. "Accept the fact that I was always destined to be your successor?"

His heart thumped madly against his ribcage as Slade came into his view. Why was he still talking to himself? Even though he now knew that Slade _was_ behind this there were still so many unanswered questions. Were those Sladebots who drugged and kidnapped him? Who—if the other agents were people—triggered the actual dust? And—creepily enough—who the hell dressed him in this stupid uniform?

"Accept the fact that you are _like me."_ Slade reached down and picked Robin up by the scruff of the neck. "And if you really want to defeat me, then you'll develop the balls to put a knife into my back."

There was nothing Robin could do to prevent Slade from shoving him against the wall. He wasn't going to fight back. This was a lesson Slade tried to teach him again and again: the survival instinct. Of course, back then Slade held back. He didn't want to permanently damage his apprentice. Sometimes Slade would beat him until Robin retaliated, but a person could only take so much pressure before snapping.

 _What are you doing, Grayson?_ Robin thought. _Stop talking to him. Stop talking to yourself! He's only in your mind…he's only in your mind…_

The mercenary took out his steel bo-staff from his utility belt. By now Robin was in so much pain that he only wanted this to stop. He didn't want to die…he didn't want the others to die…he didn't want Bruce to die…not for his benefit.

He looked up at Slade, who was now towering over him with the bo-staff in his hand. No matter what he did the older was physically stronger than he was. Even in real life Robin was never able to defeat him alone. In that aspect Slade was right: he couldn't defeat Slade alone. With a sigh of defeat he hung his head and waited for the beat down to begin.

Unless someone came to rescue him, then he knew that he was going to die.

 **-Rae-**

10:10pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

Raven went down to the stairs towards the backup generators in the basement of Titans Tower, holding a flashlight in her hands. As she looked around she could see why Robin almost lost his mind down here. The basement was so large that none of the other Titans had heard his screams and pleas for Slade to stop.

She stumbled as she tripped over something. It was one of the evidence boxes that had fallen down. Raven kicked it out of her way and continued on her way.

" _Turn back."_

Turning her eyes upwards, Raven saw thousands of tiny ravens perched on the steel supports. They surrounded her and gazed at her with curious red eyes, as though questioning her decision to fight back against the dust. Instead of following their advice, she continued forwards towards the backup generators.

" _Turn back."_

This time the chant was louder. Feathers ruffled as the ravens readjusted themselves on the support beams. Soon all of them began to chant, growing louder and louder as Raven neared the backup generators.

She flipped open the control box and shined the flashlight on it. While she wasn't much in the way of technology like Cyborg was, she was more competent than Beast Boy. Her eyes squinted as she translated Cyborg's patented chickenscratch into intelligible English. The guy sure had a way with technology, but if only he could spell…

A thousand shrieks cut through the air as the ravens screeched in anger. She dropped the flashlight in surprise as the tiny birds flew into the air and down towards her. The beam of light flickered as it skidded across the floor.

"NO!" Raven screamed, throwing her hands back and facing the birds head on. _"You're not real! You're only in my mind!"_

Their glowing red eyes pierced through the darkness and narrowed in dislike. Raven wasn't afraid. She wasn't afraid of the dust, or for herself, or of the inter-dimensional demon inside of her. Even if she couldn't face her fears in the light Raven knew that the best thing she could do was face her fears head on.

The birds stopped a few inches from her face. Within seconds they dissipated into the darkness, leaving Raven alone again. After bending down to pick up the flashlight she turned towards the control box again.

"Aha," she said, "There you are."

She reached out and flicked the switch.

She closed her eyes as Titans Tower came back to life. For the first time in her life Raven was glad for the light. Without the hallucinations plaguing her mind she could think much more clearly. She turned and dashed up the stairs as fast as she could.

Raven rushed to the common room and turned on the main computer. As soon as the screen loaded she typed frantically, locating the last phone call made earlier today. The Justice League had to understand what was going on. Why hadn't they come yet? What were they doing that was more important than this?

The Man of Steel's face appeared on screen.

"Superman!" she exclaimed. "Where are you? I thought you were coming?"

"What's going on?" Superman demanded. "I heard about the blackout. How are you contacting me?"

"I powered up the Tower's backup generators," she replied. "Listen to me: everyone, including me, has been infected with the dust that made Robin crazy. I don't know how long I can stave off the effects of the dust, but we need your help."

"We just tried to talk to Batman at Arkham Asylum. He's under the impression that the Joker is behind this and basically me down. I don't want to say that he lost his mind, but it seems like it."

Something clicked within her mind. Suddenly everything began to make sense. Just a few hours ago Robin asked Raven why Batman was acting like a jerk. The symptoms were clear as the sun in the sky. Why didn't the Justice League notice it sooner? Why didn't the Titans notice it sooner?

"Superman, Batman has also been infected with the dust."

"Excuse me?"

"Batman has been infected with the dust," Raven repeated, "I don't know how but I think that's what his problem is."

Superman looked unnerved at this. Raven felt the same way. Having Robin act super-obsessively and violently was almost too much for the Titans…and having _Batman_ act like that was more frightening. The man could cause some real damage even though he didn't have powers. Raven knew from experience that Robin certainly caused some serious damage.

"What should we do?"

"Listen to me carefully: you're going to have to convince him that this is all in his mind. Bring him literally into the light. Flood the room with light. That's the only way you can stop him from hallucinating."

The Man of Steel didn't look like he wanted to believe any of this. Raven didn't want to believe that any of this was happening, but she just had to accept the fact that it was.

"All right," he replied uneasily. "I'll keep you updated."

She logged off.

She hung her head as she composed herself. How long would she be under the influence of the dust? Several times throughout the night Robin was infected he kept reverting back to the hallucinations. How long would she have to wait?

Raven took out her Titans communicator and opened it. There were others who could help aside from the Justice League. Aqualad, for example, could help. And when the boys disappeared to fight in the Tournament of Heroes they mentioned a few others who were honorary Titans. She sent out a distress call and snapped it back shut.

Raven levitated into the air and crossed her legs. By the monks of Azarath, she _was_ going to stop this and save everyone from themselves. She closed her eyes and began to chant.

" _Azarath…Metrion…_ Zinthos!"

Raven's soul-self streaked through town, trying to find Robin amongst the crying, weeping souls of Jump City. Now she was glad that she had this mental bond with him.

While she was worried about everyone else, she knew that it would be easiest for her to find Robin. She honestly didn't know what to do. The most she had done thus far was organize the JCPD. She wasn't meant to be a leader. Even though she was created to destroy Raven wanted to do some good in the world. If she really had to lose her friends when Trigon came to destroy the universe, then she would make sure that they stayed alive long enough to face Trigon with her.

She flew through the streets of Jump City, where the JCPD struggled to apprehend escaped criminals and bring peace to this chaotic city. She saw other people break into stores and amplify the chaos and she saw people huddling inside their homes, wondering what the hell was going on in the world outside. The whole city wasn't affected with the dust, but it might as well be. Raven reached out towards Robin's conscience, which was weeping softly with undeniable fear and pain.

She found him.

Her soul-self approached a dark carnival and plunged underneath the ground. He was in an underground room by himself. To her surprise Raven saw that he was dressed in his old apprentice uniform, although the armor wasn't there. He lay on the ground in a slight curl. Even though she couldn't see anything she knew that an imaginary Slade was with him.

" _Robin…"_ she whispered.

He lifted his head at the sound of her voice.

"Don't worry about me…" he said, his voice weak. "Find the others…then come find me…"

"Who's behind this?"

Robin coughed violently as he began to laugh. What was wrong with him? Why was he laughing? He wasn't infused with the Joker's laughing gas, was he?

"Robin! Are you hurt?"

"I said don't worry about me!"

Was that blood running down his face? Raven's feelings of panic increased. Robin bowed his head and muttered words under his breath that he knew Raven would hear.

"…Contact…Adeline…" he said. "Adeline…Kane…"

Something invisible grabbed a hold of him and flung him across the room. A scream escaped from Robin's lips as he doubled over in pain, flinging his arms over his head to protect himself from an imaginary foe.

In order not to get hurt herself Raven withdrew herself from Robin's mind. Her soul-self fled back to Titans Tower. Once she reunited with her self-soul Raven stood back on her feet, breathing hard as she tried to digest what she just witnessed. She looked at the main computer, where the files on Adeline Kane were still bookmarked from when Robin last used them.

Adeline Kane.

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh the Bene Gesserit quote….Dune is probably my favorite sci-fi novel _ever_. Heck, my parents are Dune freaks as well. My brother is named after one of the main characters.

Fangirlness about Dune aside, I can actually see Raven reciting the Litany Against Fear.

Oh, and as I was watching _Haunted_ for the umpteenth time I realized that I've always wondered what happened to Robin in the hospital wing. You know, where the writers made it SUPER ambiguous as to whether Slade friggin' _tortured_ him or cut him loose. I wanted to write that flashback a while back, but then I decided that it would be more appropriate later in the story since the violence is escalating in this part.

And I originally had more POVs, but this chapter was beginning to get a little long.

REVIEW!


	27. Jokes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** TROLOLOLO I don't own Teen Titans or DC Comics.

**Disclaimer:** TROLOLOLO I don't own Teen Titans or DC Comics.

 **A/N:** Should I be reading Richard III? Why yes I should be. Am I going to? Later. This is more important.

I'm on a roll! I actually had most of part 5 written beforehand, which helps, but I'm still writing madly to finish on time. Look out for speedy updates this week. My roomie is cheering me on! WHOOHOO!

* * *

"If you want to get out alive,

Run for your life."

-Three Days Grace "Get Out Alive"

* * *

Chapter 26: Jokes

 **-AK-**

10:36pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

The city was thrown into chaos.

Adeline and Jericho drove into town well past the speed limit. Not like there was anyone in their way. By now those who wanted to get out of the city were already out. They sped past intersections and stop signs without even bothering to slow down. It wasn't as if a cop was going to pull her over now, not with all of the villains running around.

Her cell phone rang. Jericho rummaged through Adeline's purse and took out the phone, glancing at the caller id before signing to his mother.

 _"This call is originating from Titans Tower,"_ he said.

She snatched it from him and flipped it open.

"Hello?" Adeline asked. "Who is this?"

"This is Raven, a Teen Titan," a female voice replied. "Robin told me to contact you."

Adeline searched her memory for the one named Raven. She was the quiet one with the dark powers. Unlike the other Titans, she knew almost nothing about the girl. The memory of her last encounter with the Boy Wonder floated to her mind.

"What's going on?" Adeline asked. "Where are the Titans?"

"We've got a problem," Raven replied, "everyone's been infected with the same dust that almost drove Robin insane last week."

Her head began to buzz with theories. She knew that Robin came to her looking for the identity of the perpetrator, the malicious person who triggered the dust to the chemical reagent in Slade's mask. Although she honestly had no idea who was behind it she told him that anyone could benefit.

Anyone could benefit.

Well, if anyone could benefit, then who was the perpetrator behind these attacks? Were they simply running in circles while the perpetrator watched with glee?

"I'm in the city," Adeline said, "I told Robin to contact me if things got too hot."

"Why does he trust you?"

The Titan's tone was sharp and wary. Adeline held the cell phone a few inches away from her face, wondering how to reply. Why did Robin trust her? She freely admitted that she used to be married to his arch-enemy, a man who verbally, physically, and mentally abused him. He had every right not to trust her, but he did anyway.

That said a lot about Robin's character.

"Look, I gave him some advice. We had a…uh…mutual friend from his past."

Should she be more specific? It seemed as though Robin didn't share the information about her former husband with the other Titans. He respected her enough not to share that rather sensitive piece of information with them. At least, as far as she knew.

Raven stayed silent for a moment, considering Adeline's words.

"Look, I'm at Titans Tower now. I meet you in the city in a few minutes."

"Fine."

Adeline stepped on the gas pedal and sped towards her destination. Since the Titans were all infected with the dust every single second counted. Once they reached the rendezvous point she put the car into park and sat in the car, waiting. Jericho sat in the passenger seat beside her.

 _"What do you hope to accomplish, mom?"_ he asked. _"And why are we helping them?"_

She looked down at her son. She knew that he, unlike Slade or Grant, was one of the kindest people one could ever meet. He wasn't angry, just curious.

"I know this isn't our problem, Joey," she replied, "but now you've seen firsthand what your father was capable of doing. The Titans do not have this situation under control."

And it wasn't as if they could help it. Yes, they were all young, but as far as she knew those kids had experienced more hardships than anyone their age should go through. Of course, Slade had lied about his age when he joined the army. She shook her head, trying to rid her thoughts of her former husband.

The Titans were capable of many things. They even managed to defeat Slade when things seemed hopeless. Yet whoever was behind this business with the dust knew how to screw people over well. Things had gotten bad enough for the Justice League to get involved somehow.

A young woman appeared out of nowhere in front of the car. At once Adeline got out of the car and headed towards the Titan. The young Titan's eyes gazed at Adeline suspiciously, her violet eyes brushing over the gun hanging on Adeline's hips. The older woman didn't care about how she appeared to Raven. She was ex-military and was proud to act like it.

"Raven?"

"Ms. Kane," Raven replied in her deadpan voice.

"Call me Adeline."

"Right," Raven said, not sounding enthusiastic at all. "Robin told me to contact you, so I did."

Her eyes glanced towards Jericho, but she said nothing about the brightly-dressed young man.

"The situation's bad," Raven said, "I managed to contact Robin, and even though he knows that he's hallucinating he might not make it. And to top it all off Batman's been infected with the same thing."

A shiver went down Adeline's spine at this. Those infected with Slade's dust drove themselves insane to the point of death. The thought of the man she used to love doing this to a bunch of teenagers sickened her. Doing this to the Titans…but why Batman? She thought about this for a moment. When she talked with Robin she remembered correctly deducing that Slade knew Robin's secret identity as well as that of Batman.

"I've sent out a distress call to all surrounding heroes," Raven said, "Aqualad and Speedy should be coming to help."

Adeline searched her memory. Those names sounded familiar….ah yes, Aqualad and Speedy used to be the sidekicks of Aquaman and Green Arrow. Had she really gotten that old already? She remembered when all of these kids worked with the bigshot superheroes. Now they were growing up and becoming their own heroes…and when their mentors retired would they all take up the mantle?

Those were strange thoughts.

"My son is here. He will assist the JCPD in rounding up all of the criminals."

"Your son?"

"Because of my husband's…inference…my son has powers. He can help you."

Jericho nodded, smiling encouragingly. Raven merely looked at him. Perhaps Adeline should have been more specific about what Jericho could do.

"Fine," Raven said, "the Justice League should be arriving any minute. If your son wants to help then he should talk to the chief of police."

Jericho nodded once in understanding and ran down the dark street. Adeline hoped that her son would stay safe as he helped the police round up the escaped criminals. She didn't think she could bear it if her other son died as well.

Adeline looked down at the younger woman. As always, Adeline was always neutral on the idea of vigilantism, but when she thought about it hardly any of the Teen Titans were above the age of eighteen. Cyborg must be oldest while the changeling was obviously the youngest. How could such young children be allowed to fight dangerous criminals like her husband? It wasn't a matter of whether they were skilled or not—because all of them were—it was just a matter of common sense. Adeline thought of Joey.

"Raven," Adeline said suddenly, "are you alright?"

Sweat poured down Raven's pale face. A gush of cool air whipped Adeline's brown hair across her face as she looked down at the younger woman. The Titan looked visibly unsettled.

"I've been infected with the dust," Raven explained, "and even though I can handle the visions I'm still in the darkness. They won't go away."

What kind of man was her husband? Adeline said that she loved Slade, but at the same time she didn't know who he was. He lived a second life that she knew nothing of until her children got hurt because of it. Would she had approved even if Joey didn't get hurt? If Grant hadn't died?

Adeline didn't know.

"So, what's the plan?" Adeline asked.

 **-S-**

10:40pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

She screamed.

Two Gordanians held her down as a third held a sizzling electric spear over her. One tied a blindfold over her eyes so that she could not use her starbolts. She could feel the hot sparks burn her skin as it came closer and closer.

"This is for the Citadel," he said.

There was nothing she could do to stop this. She closed her eyes and wished that this was not happening. If anything, this was worse than before. Try as she might she could not wriggle her way out of the Gordanians' tight grips. Starfire was not sure what hurt her more: the fact that the Gordanians were about to torture her or the fact that her sister made a deal with them. Her body twitched in convulsions as electricity shot through her body. Strands of hair sizzled and burned as her skin tingled. How long were they going to torture her like this? Were they even going to take her back to the Citadel?

She was ready to give up.

Starfire lay curled on the floor, unable to move out of fear and pain. She knew that she wasn't weak, but a person could only take so much pain. Everyone had their breaking point, and Starfire felt as though she was reaching her own.

Perhaps Blackfire had been right when she accused Starfire of being the weaker fighter. Was Starfire weak because she couldn't handle the pain? Tamaran could not afford to have a weak leader, a leader who could not even fight off the Gordonians. If she could not save herself, then how could she possibly lead Tamaran?

She tensed as the door to the ship opened. Lifting her head slightly, she fought back tears of pain to look at the newcomer. To her surprise Slade walked in, dragging an unconscious Robin behind him by the cape.

"Robin!" she shrieked. "ROBIN!"

Everything was going horribly wrong. It was one thing to have the Gordanians capture her and torture her….but quite another for them to collaborate with Slade so that the other Titans got hurt. The mercenary dropped Robin unceremoniously to the ground and turned his attention to her.

A shiver went down her spine as she stared straight into his one eye. She had never been this close to the man before. Now she could understand why Robin felt so afraid of him. Starfire felt a sudden urge to shrink back, but her stubborn Tamaranean personality held her still. She would _not_ allow this man to scare her.

"Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran," he said in his horridly smooth voice. "My, my…I didn't know you were a princess."

At once she forgot her pain as rage filled her. Sure, the Gordanians could hurt her all they wanted. She was a Tamaranean princess, she could handle whatever they threw at her. But if they decided to hurt Robin…then she would do everything in her power to protect him. Even if that meant enduring more torture at the hands of the Gordanians. And Slade…Slade was supposed to be dead. She cocked her head to the side in confusion.

"What do you want with him?" Starfire demanded.

Robin moved slightly as he came back to consciousness. He began to cough as he curled up into a ball. Waves of fury rushed through her. As he murmured something Slade kicked him in the head, effectively silencing him. Starfire's hands formed fists inside her shackles as she glared at Slade.

"It's not about what I want with him that matters," Slade replied. "Once I realized who you were I decided to contact the Citadel."

The more she thought about it, the more it began to make sense. Of course, there was still the fact that Slade was supposed to be dead to deal with, but given Slade's track record…

"You don't benefit," Starfire said.

"Of course I do, my dear," Slade replied, smirking. "You see, I immediately knew that Robin had feelings for you once he refused to shoot you on top of Wayne Enterprises."

Robin had…what…? Starfire vividly remembered the incident, but after Robin came home she thought nothing more of it. But now that Slade mentioned it, it made sense. When she and the others came to the haunt to find him she knew that they were fighting. What were they fighting about before the Titans arrived? Could it have been precisely about that?

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"My dear, I would never do anything without considering the benefits. You see, for some time I have allowed Robin to live his life freely as a Titan. Unbeknownst to you and the rest of the Titans, I held him by another leash: his secret identity and that of the Batman.

"So I came up with a plan: using you and the Bat's identity, I blackmailed him into coming with me. He knew, but he's too stubborn to admit that I knew his secret identity. So he never told you until now. Strange, isn't it, how desperate your friend has to be to admit something like that to you?"

She allowed her normally cheerful face to frown. Starfire did not like to be constantly reminded that she had never seen Robin's face while Slade knew everything about him. Why was that? She knew Robin better than any of the other Titans and she felt that she understood Robin better than Slade ever did.

"But he would never—"

"Betray you?" Slade snickered. "Not like I left him any other choice."

Starfire felt so confused. Not only was Slade was supposed to be dead, but Blackfire was allying herself with the Gordanians. If Slade was alive and blackmailing Robin _again,_ then why did Robin betray her to the Gordanians? Nothing made sense.

Her eyes dropped back down to Robin, who opened his eyes as he came back to consciousness. He was beaten so badly that he could barely move. Robin did not even bother looking up at Starfire. Was he too ashamed to look at her or too afraid to look in front of Slade?

"Star…I'm sorry…" he said in a low voice.

There was so much going on that she didn't know what to focus on first. She began growl in anger Slade turned away, nudging Robin with his foot to get him moving.

" _You will release him at once!"_ Starfire shouted. _"If you do not wish to be destroyed!"_

The mercenary paused, amusement evident in his single eye.

"I do not think that you are in a position for negotiations, princess." He looked down at Robin. "I told you to move, young man."

Robin's arms shook as he forced himself to get up. When he failed to push himself to his feet Slade stooped down and picked up him by the collar. The mercenary proceeded to half-drag Robin out of the room, with Starfire screaming all the while.

 **-Rae-**

10:48pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

"The plan?" Raven looked down at her hands, which were glowing again. "I don't have a plan. I don't know what to do."

She closed her eyes and tried to remember where she found Robin. All she remembered was the large outline of a tent before her soul-self plunged into the underground room.

As much as she disliked it, Raven had to be the leader. She alone could guess where the other Titans were being held. With all of the craziness happening and in Gotham City even Superman looked to her for advice.

"I don't know who's behind this," Raven said, "and I don't know if the perpetrator revealed himself to Robin or the others."

She wanted an answer. Raven looked up again at Adeline, still puzzling over the woman. Robin barely mentioned the woman after his meeting with her. Even Starfire, who was normally loquacious, kept uncharacteristically silent about the subject. The older woman gazed down at her.

"We found you!"

Raven turned to find the Flash and Zatanna standing behind her. Zatanna looked a little worse for wear. She smoothed down her long black hair and placed her top hat back on her head. Raven felt annoyance emanating from the woman over Flash's unceremonious rush to Jump City.

"Thank God we're not five minutes late," Zatanna said.

Although Raven knew that Zatanna was part of the Justice League, she had never met the woman herself. Now she felt a little wary of the magician. If there was anyone else who could sense the demon inside of her, then it would be Zatanna.

"Hey," Flash said, "I'm not always five minutes late."

There were so many people trying to work through this mess. She didn't like having to communicate with so many people at once. Robin was always the most comfortable speaking to the Justice League. It was hard enough for her to trust the other Titans. Now Raven was being forced to act as a leader in lieu of Robin. Whether she wanted to or not she had to learn how to trust the Justice League.

"What should we do?" Flash asked.

"Adeline and I are going to try to find Robin first," Raven said, "I know the general area of where he's being held. Criminals are running all around the city. Speedy and Aqualad will help you round them up."

Flash nodded. "How many escaped?"

"I don't know." Raven shrugged. "All of them? You'll have to ask a cop."

How did Robin handle all of this responsibility? Sure, he made a few mistakes in the past. But right now Raven knew that she couldn't afford to make any mistakes. She could never forgive herself if she allowed everyone to wallow in their own despair and die before the sun rose.

"You say that everyone is infected with the dust," Flash said, "what do you plan to do once you find everyone? Keep them tied down until sunrise?"

"Hopefully not," Raven replied. "What time is it?"

"It's almost eleven."

Raven swore under her breath. There was too much time to spare. While it would be good to have the JLA's help locating the missing Titans, there was just too much going on for them to spread them out. Flash clapped his hands together.

"We'll start rounding them up," Flash said. "I'll go right away—"

"One moment," Zatanna said.

Zatanna stepped closer to Raven. The younger woman wanted to shy away, but thought better of it. Getting on the bad side of a JLA member was the last thing she wanted to do, especially since this was Zatanna she was dealing with.

"I sense a great evil within you," she said quietly, "one that is threatening to be released now."

"I try my best."

"Try harder."

Raven looked up at her.

Zatanna flung out a hand. _"EZEERF!"_

A group of thieves hurrying away froze. Despite herself, Raven was impressed. Robin never talked that much about Zatanna, but Raven could tell that she was dangerous herself. She sensed a different kind of magic deep within the magician, one that was not dependent upon an evil demon. Zatanna gazed down steadily at Raven.

"Go find the others."

Nodding, Raven drifted away towards Adeline Kane as Zatanna and Flash moved. While she knew next-to-nothing about the woman she knew that Robin trusted her. She also trusted her internal senses. Adeline was a good woman. What was her connection to Slade? All she knew was that William Wintergreen, once Slade's butler, gave Robin the name. Before Raven called Adeline she barely glanced over the information about her on the main computer. Her son was also a mystery as well. Did he have powers? How was he going to help?

A sudden memory attacked her.

 _She looked up at Arella, her mother, who looked almost exactly like Raven. Arella looked away from her daughter, her dark long hair blowing in the slight wind. Several times through her life she asked Arella if there was anything she could do to stop Trigon from coming._

 _Why didn't the monks of Azarath just…kill her? If they knew that Trigon sired Raven for the purpose of using her as a portal, then why was Raven allowed to live? And if she was to be the agent to the end of the world, then why did the monks tell her so?_

 _Really, Raven preferred not to know._

 _There were things her mother taught her to help her control the demon inside of her. There were meditation and mantras to help keep her emotions under control. Although she couldn't see the symbols etched on her skin she knew that they were they._

 _Life in Azarath was pleasant, but rather lonely without other children her age around. She mentally cursed Trigon for bringing her into existence. Raven hated the fact that her future was set in stone for her._

"Raven?"

Raven snapped out of her vision. Why had she flashbacked so suddenly? She shook her head and tried to think again. How would Robin solve this? How would Batman solve this? How could anyone solve this?

Hmm.

"I have a vague idea where Robin is," Raven said, "before I broke contact with him he asked me to look for the others first. But I don't know where everyone else is. He's the only lead I have, so we're going to go after him first."

Raven raised her hands and a dark shield of energy surrounded her and Adeline. The older woman looked unsettled to be traveling by magic, but Adeline didn't complain. A swell of determination rose within Raven.

They w _ere_ going to fix this.

 **-BW-**

11:59pm

Gotham City

Wayne Enterprises

He coughed as he regained consciousness. To his surprise he found himself lying on the floor of Wayne Enterprises with a pounding headache. What just happened? The last thing he remembered was following the Joker into Wayne Enterprises.

He found his cowl lying a few feet away from him on the floor. Bruce put a hand to his head and found that his face was bare. A fresh wave of panic came over him. Did the Joker do this? How did he let this happen? Bruce knew that he was better than this.

"Hello?"

No one answered him.

Bruce picked up the cowl and pulled it back over his head. Although it felt good to have his face masked again it bothered him that someone obviously pulled it off of him. The Joker knocked him out with a crowbar…so it was probable that the Joker had seen his face.

Cold, maniacal laughter echoed loudly in the empty hall. Bruce's heart nearly stopped in his chest as he recognized the laughter. All at once he remembered what happened before he blacked out.

 _There's no way in hell,_ he thought, pushing himself to his feet, _that the Joker could have gotten in here._

He followed the laughter all the way down to the basement of Wayne Enterprises, down to where he kept his Batman gear. Bruce was at an utter loss to explain how the Joker managed to get through all of his security. He had to stop at every door and type in the code before going inside.

Bruce froze.

The Joker still stood there, a crowbar in his hand. For some reason Bruce found himself unable to step forward and fight the madman. What was holding him back? Why couldn't he just step forward and beat the man to a pulp?

"Why hello there," the Joker said. "How's your head?"

His arch-enemy spoke in a pleasant, conversational tone. He was toying with Batman, just like he always did. As a matter of fact, his head hurt like hell. As he glared hard at the Joker an unpleasant smile crossed the latter's face.

"Fine? Well, I hope so. I decided to play doctor while you were out just to see how damage I did. Took a little peek underneath that little mask of yours." A small chuckle escaped the Joker's lips. "Well…well…the Bat unmasked. I imagined you…different. Not quite so cocky now are you, Brucie?"

Bruce found his hands forming into fists. This didn't change anything. In fact, this only fueled Bruce's desire to bring him behind bars again. Before he could snap back a reply the Joker continued to speak.

"I was afraid that I hit you rather hard…only because I wanted you here to see the show."

"What show?"

A wicked smile crossed the Joker's lips. Even before the Joker spoke Bruce knew that he wouldn't like the answer. With a dramatic wave of his hand the Joker stepped back and pulled back the cord of a curtain.

Bruce saw Robin lying on the ground with his hands tied behind his back. Blood pooled beneath his unconscious figure and flowed from several gashes all over his body. Robin squirmed as he came back to consciousness. Cold fear raced down Bruce's spine as he gazed down at Robin's broken figure.

How long had Robin been held captive? How long had the Joker been beating him like this?

"Ain't this so much _fun?"_ the Joker asked, tapping a crowbar lightly against his open hand.

To his horror the Joker lifted the crowbar and slammed it against Robin's face. Dick's head snapped backwards as the crowbar hit his face.

"ROBIN!" Bruce yelled.

NO!

He couldn't let Dick die. He couldn't let him die like the Flying Graysons. Now infuriated, Bruce rushed towards the Joker and threw a punch. Joker dodged and whammed the crowbar hard into Bruce's side.

"Now I can't let you spoil the fun, can I?" Joker asked. "Don't be a party pooper."

That blow had knocked the wind out of him!

Bruce found himself struggling to his feet. The Joker wasn't much in the way of muscles. That's why he used guns and acid. Robin screamed again and again as the Joker continued to beat him with the crowbar. Blood splattered the clean tiles and the Joker's face, which was twisted in sadistic glee as he swung the crowbar up and down.

"Bruce…" Robin murmured. "Help…"

Pieces of Robin's opaque mask had fallen apart. One of his blue eyes stared back at him, silently pleading for help. A terrified yelp escaped from his trembling lips as the Joker hit him with the crowbar again. Robin doubled over. As Bruce lurched forward like a beached whale the Joker swung the crowbar and hit him in the stomach.

"What makes you think you can save him, Batsy?" Joker asked, kneeling down to poke Bruce with the crowbar. "You couldn't even save him from Deathstroke, could ya?"

Bruce's head snapped up at this comment. How could the Joker have known about that? If it was even possible, the Joker's smile widened. Robin groaned, although whether it was about Slade or the pain Bruce didn't know. A burst of insane giggling escaped from the Joker.

"Even I have to give the man points. Blackmail, destruction…it's just his obsession with kids in tights that I don't understand. Of course, I could ask you the same thing."

Blood dripped Bruce's face as he struggled to face the Joker. With a lazy push the Joker managed to bring Batman back to the floor. The Joker knelt and placed the crowbar across his knees. Dick's blood stained his purple pants, but the Joker didn't care. In fact, he seemed to revel in it violence and gore.

"I heard that Deathstroke wouldn't kill the kid," the Joker said, "nah, he just liked to make him suffer. Kind of like what I'm doing to you, eh Bats?"

"I'm…going…to…" Bruce muttered, forcing each word to out.

"Do what? Kill me? Nah." The Joker chuckled. "I'd really like to see ya try, though."

The Joker patted him affectionately on the cheeks before turning away, placing his hands behind his back. Bruce tried to form words, but found that he couldn't. He had failed to save Dick. He had failed to save Gotham.

Above all, though, Bruce failed to save himself.

"What do you consider your biggest failure?" The Joker asked. "How I came to be? The fact that you can't even keep your own kid safe?"

Batman couldn't think straight. He hated the Joker. He hated Deathstroke. He hated all of the criminals out there who made his life and that of other heroes' miserable. His hated burned inside of him like a roaring furnace. How could he let the Joker get into his head? The Joker was never a master of psychology…he was just insane.

"I know you won't kill me, Batsy," the Joker said. "But Deathstroke…now _he's_ quite villain. Now if I kill your little baby-bird, what would you do, Brucie? Would you kill me?"

The thought had crossed his mind once or twice. Bruce knew that he certainly had the power to kill anyone. He just chose not to. But what if the Joker did kill Robin? Would he have the willpower to actually commit the killing? What if it was the only option left for him to do? When Bruce didn't answer the Joker continued to speak in his gloating voice.

"You wanna know the punch line? He goes to see the Big Man in the sky," he said, "Ain't that hysterical?"

He couldn't help himself. The Joker threw back his head as he began to chuckle. The Joker's insane laughter filled Bruce's ears to the point where it was the only thing he could hear.

This was one bad joke.

 **-C-**

10:53pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

Cyborg was losing.

Debris fell all around him as he continued to shoot at Brother Blood with his sonic cannon. The HIVE headmaster dodged Cyborg's shots with chilling efficiently. Now that Cyborg thought about it, Brother Blood probably became the new headmaster for a reason. Perhaps Brother Blood had been holding back.

"What do you hope to accomplish from this?" Brother Blood asked. "I thought that I taught you better."

"You didn't teach me anything," Cyborg growled. "I learned nothing at your school!"

Brother Blood dodged Cyborg's fist and slammed his own against Cyborg's chest, right against his central power core. If Brother Blood could punch through steel, then he would be in trouble if Blood knew where his central power core was.

Cyborg was afraid of so many things. If Brother Blood knew his secret identity, then what else did he know? Did he know about his father and STAR labs? Or what about the school of handicapped kids?

"I beg to differ," Brother Blood said, "I distinctly remember you being the top student of my class."

A growl escaped from Cyborg's lips.

"I only pretended to be your top student so that I could bring you down!"

The older man burst out laughing. Cyborg didn't see what was so funny about this. This was just another reason why villains like Blood were insane.

"Stop lying to yourself," Brother Blood said, "from the very beginning I knew that you were one of those pesky Titans, but I allowed you to join my school. I wanted to see what you would do."

"Why?"

"Because I can always use people like you. I thought I could take a page out of Deathstroke's book and see what would happen when I allowed a hero to work for me."

Why did the villains just _love_ to screw with the heroes like this? It seemed as though the only point of their existence was to do exactly that. It wasn't just enough that they committed criminal acts—no, they just had to find ways to make the hero's skin _crawl._

"Well guess what, Blood: you're wrong." Cyborg threw a couple more unsuccessful punches towards Blood's face. "Now where are my friends?"

"Do you really believe that I'm going to tell you that?" Blood asked, laughing. "Why should I?"

"Because the good guys always win."

It was a lame answer, to be sure, but Cyborg couldn't think of anything clever to say. Brother Blood was just wasting his time. If Cyborg didn't get an answer soon then all of his friends might just die.

" _Tell me where they are!"_ Cyborg growled.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Blood replied, smiling. "As far as I can see, Victor, you have two very difficult options to choose from."

Brother Blood shoved Cyborg away. The younger man paused, wondering what Blood was going to say. What did he mean by that? The HIVE headmaster lowered his fists and let them fall to his sides. A smug smile crept across his face, as though he knew something that Cyborg didn't know. When Cyborg didn't say anything Brother Blood decided to break the uneasy silence.

"I know all about you. All about your friends, your family, even the little kids you spend your time with on the weekends coaching Little League. So here's the deal, Cyborg: you agree to surrender here and now or I'll blow up STAR labs. I can't say anything about the other Titans, but you wouldn't want those deaths on your conscience now, would you?"

A pang of fear shot through Cyborg. So not only were his friends in danger, but also everyone he was connected to. Was this how Robin felt when Slade revealed his nefarious plot to destroy the Teen Titans?

"You're bluffing—"

"Am I one to bluff?"

Brother Blood reached into an inside pocket and pulled out a trigger. Despite himself, Cyborg found himself at a standstill. If Brother Blood wasn't bluffing, then it would be suicide to attack him now. Then again, if he was bluffing, then he should attack him now.

"So why I am being kept here?"

"Oh, for many reasons. As my agents bring down the rest of the Titans and slowly crack their minds I'd thought it would be nice to get to know each other. I did tell you once before that I wanted to get to know you better. Just you and me, Victor."

 **-R-**

10:54pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

"Adeline…" he murmured.

Robin tensed, waiting for Slade to hit him again. To his surprise he felt nothing. Nothing except the throbbing pain. He could feel purple bruises forming all over his body from where Slade had hit him with the bo-staff. He didn't know why he said Adeline's name. Robin felt Raven leave him and float away with the instruction to contact Adeline Kane.

Faint memories and thoughts bubbled in his fuzzy mind. He remembered going with Starfire to find Adeline Kane, the former wife of his arch-enemy. She had offered him encouragement. It was so hard for him to fathom his arch-enemy as a married man.

"What did you say?"

He dared to lift his head to look at Slade. The mercenary stood shock still, his one eye wide with surprise. A pang of fear and disgust tightened Robin's chest as he saw that Slade's bo-staff dripping with his own blood. Had Slade already beaten him that badly? Robin touched his face and felt blood. Why was—then it hit him. An idea popped into his mind. Wiping blood away from his face with a sleeve, Robin pushed himself to his feet. He puffed out his chest.

"Adeline," Robin repeated, saying it louder and more firmly. "Adeline Kane. Maybe you know her?"

Robin thought back to his meeting with Wintergreen. Had the butler known all along that this was going to happen? Perhaps he may not have been privy to all of the information regarding this dastardly plan, but perhaps he knew enough to give Robin an advantage.

He looked down at the hated uniform. Was he, perhaps, imagining things? Was he so frightened of Slade and everything connected to him that all of his fear manifested in this hallucination. Perhaps he was only imagining that he was here in this uniform in front of his worst enemy. Perhaps he didn't need to fight Slade.

Perhaps he only needed to talk.

"What are you afraid of, Slade?"

The mercenary looked surprised by the question. To be perfectly honest, Robin surprised himself by asking the question. It just seemed…natural.

"Afraid of? Dear child, _I_ am the one you should be afraid of."

Robin searched his mind for something to use against Slade. Just the mere mention of Adeline caused him to become uneasy. Would the real Slade act this way? If so, then why was he so afraid at the mention of Adeline?

 _"He never mentioned—" Robin began._

 _"That he had a family?" Adeline finished. "Why would he?"_

There was the answer, plain as day in front of him. The reason why Slade never mentioned that he had a family was because he still loved Adeline. He still loved his son. But his logic was so twisted and warped that he expressed his love in different ways. Ways that were not acceptable to Adeline or anyone else for that matter.

Like everyone else, Slade was just another human being. Why did Slade want an apprentice? Because he lost his own son…lost his family…and in his twisted way he tried to bring that back. A twisted kind of fatherly love. Although Slade was a master of psychology he didn't seem to understand how to relate to people. He once told Robin that he would learn to like being his apprentice. That part Robin never understood. Slade did _nothing_ to convince Robin that he would like living with the man…

"Starfire loves me, and even when I worked for you she never doubted me. Adeline…well…she shot your eye out when she found out, didn't she?"

It was Slade's turn to step back. Suddenly Robin understood. The dust may have infiltrated his nervous system once again, but that didn't mean that he couldn't fight back.

During all that time as Slade's apprentice Robin allowed Slade to get to his head. The man could manipulate him so well because he knew his secret identity. Well, for once Robin knew something about Slade. Robin realized that he would never be able to physically beat Slade (at least, not yet) and that the last time they truly fought Robin used psychological warfare on him. It worked.

"How did you find out about Adeline?" Slade asked, sounding uneasy.

The Boy Wonder peeled off the spiky mask and wiped sweat away from his eyes. He held the mask loosely in his hand. Here they were: just Dick Grayson and Slade Wilson. Now both of them had their secrets laid out before the other. If he was truly going to face his worst nightmare then he needed to face it without the mask.

"Does it matter how I found out? She seems pretty eager to finish what she started."

"This business is between us only, Di—"

"You know what?" Robin interrupted, now beginning to circle Slade. "This isn't just about me. It's all beginning to make sense now."

Slade suddenly turned and rammed a fist into Robin's stomach. Fighting back to urge to counterattack, Robin forced himself back to his feet. He had to take the offensive and make Slade uneasy. He sucked in air through his clenched teeth and continued to circle Slade.

"She hates you, Slade. Now I see why you mentioned Starfire to me. Does it bother you, Slade, that she still believed in me even when I worked for you? Does it bother you that your own wife felt betrayed enough to shoot you in the face?"

The mercenary's fist grazed the side of Robin's face as he became more enraged with Robin's every word. Robin found himself barely able to dodge Slade's next flurry of attacks. Even though he couldn't be sure that Slade knew about his crush on Starfire in real life, this faux Slade knew about it. He knew it because this Slade could delve deep into his thoughts.

"You know, you were right when you told me that I would do everything I could to find out your true identity. Your man Wintergreen told me about Adeline. I found her and she told me the truth. I met your son. And you know what, Slade? They both _hate_ you."

 _That_ certainly hit a nerve.

The Boy Wonder successfully dodged Slade's new attacks. Instead of feeling tired and beaten Robin found a new cache of energy deep within him. Something was _finally_ working. He could do this.

"Does it bother you, Slade, that I know who you are now?" Robin asked, allowing his voice to become snide. "Both of us know that you never really wanted me to follow in your footsteps."

One. Two. Three swipes with the bo-staff. This was beginning to feel like their old training sessions back in the haunt. Although this fight seemed incredibly one-sided Robin knew that he was beginning to take the offensive by getting under Slade's skin. He was perfectly aware that this entire conversation was taking place inside of his mind. For the past week he had been avoiding the monster inside his head…allowing it to consume him from the inside-out. Now he was confronting the monster again.

But this time he was prepared.

"It doesn't matter," Slade replied, taking out his bo-staff. "Knowing my history won't stop me from finishing you."

Slade swung his bo-staff towards Robin's face. Without even moving Robin reached out and caught the bo-staff before it hit his face. His muscles strained as he managed to hold off Slade, his teeth gritting as Slade's eye widened in surprise. Robin allowed a small smile to caress his lips.

"Face it, Slade: you don't have any friends."

Gathering up all of his strength, Robin threw a punch to Slade's face.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, so I lied early on when I said that I wouldn't discuss what Batman saw under Scarecrow's gas/ Slade's dust: in the comics he sees Jason Todd being murdered by the Joker. So this is a little tribute to _A Death in the Family._

And LOL, I love how Robin's talking to himself. Starfire's section was hard for me to write, as well as Cyborg's. Those two were originally included in the last chapter, but then I moved them to this chapter. Bruce's section was heavily influenced by my viewing and obsession with _Batman: Under the Hood._

I am also aware that a lot of people are seeing Robin getting beaten up…oh well. I'm gonna go finish my Shakespeare reading now.

Go review!


	28. Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Dear Santa: I want Teen Titans and DC comics for Christmas. Love, aessedai343

**Disclaimer:** Dear Santa: I want Teen Titans and DC comics for Christmas. Love, aessedai343

 **A/N:** Guess who got an "A" on her Brit Lit Midterm? That's right, beyotches, aessedai343 got an A on her Brit Lit Before 1800 midterm. Sorry, I just had to gloat. These chapters are coming out so fast that I don't know what to put in the author's notes. Onward to the story!

* * *

"Can't you see that you're smothering me?

Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control

'cause everything that you thought I would be

Is falling apart right in front of you."

-Linkin Park, "Numb"

* * *

Chapter 27: Determination

 **-AK-**

11:04pm

Jump City, California

Circus Yard

She shivered as she stepped out of Raven's soul-self. Adeline had never traveled by magic before and she wasn't certain whether she wanted to do it again. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she stepped through the darkness.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Raven replied, "I just followed his conscience."

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness she saw the dark outlines of brightly-colored caravans and cages. Several of the animals inside of these cages stirred at the sound of their voices. As the slight wind picked up the scent of hay and old popcorn drifted to her nostrils.

Suddenly Adeline knew exactly where they were. She remembered taking Joey here once for the annual fair. The traveling circus performers usually came at this time of the year. Wasn't there a circus in town now?

There was.

"We're on circus grounds," Adeline said. "Where is he?"

After a moment Raven turned towards the large, colorful circus tent. Without the lights or people it looked lonely. Was this their last night in town? From what Adeline could remember from their commercials, they had a performance on Friday night.

They stepped inside the circus tent. The empty bleachers loomed all around them as they walked into the wide circus ring. Adeline watched in curiosity as Raven closed her eyes. She had always been confused as to what the empath's powers were. They seemed to be a mix of telekinesis and telepathy in the form of dark energy.

"He's here."

If Slade was behind this, then why would he decide to place Robin here? In a circus tent? Or rather, underneath a circus tent. They walked to the center of the circus ring. Since it was late there was no one here. Adeline let her eyes drift upward towards the trapeze bars hanging above them.

"Where?"

Raven stooped to her knees and placed her hands upon the ground, which was littered with hay, dried remnants of elephant poop and sawdust.

"Underneath the ground."

This puzzled Adeline even further. Why would whoever was behind this go to all of the trouble of building an underground room? Adeline knelt down next to Raven. Together the two of them pushed the ringmaster's stand away. To Adeline's astonishment the entrance to a trapdoor lay underneath. Did the circus people know that this was here? Someone had to. Adeline reached out and pulled open the trapdoor.

Both women leapt into the darkness and pulled out their flashlights. It was cold down here. Adeline's breath misted in front of her face.

She heard it coming long before it came.

Adeline spun around and dropped her flashlight, her hands reaching for the guns at her hips. Two searing red beams of light sizzled through the air, burning Adeline's hair as they nearly hit her head. At once Raven turned her flashlights towards their visitors. Adrenaline pumped through Adeline as she lifted up the guns. With the precision born of her extensive training in the US military she fired two shots straight into the chest of their attackers.

One.

Two.

She blew a strand of hair out of her face as she placed the guns back in the holster. Although she didn't really want to admit it, it felt good to shoot something again. Adeline felt as though she was getting a little rusty.

"Sladebots," Raven said, looking down at the remnants.

Exposed wires sparked blue light. Adeline looked down in disgust at the Sladebot. So Slade had a few of these things still around. Another thing she didn't know about her husband was the fact that he knew a great deal about robotics.

"They must have brought Robin down here," Adeline said.

"I thought we destroyed them all when we last fought him," Raven said, her voice worried. "They must have kidnapped all of us at the power plant."

A strange sense of foreboding overcame Adeline. As far as she could tell, the information was all pointing towards Slade as the perpetrator of these attacks. Was the perpetrator using the Sladebots because he was too lazy to make his own or because he wanted them to think that Slade was behind this?

Out of the corner of her eye Adeline saw Raven pause and put a hand to her stomach, the expression on her face looking as if she might throw up at any minute.

"Are you okay?"

At first Raven began to nod, but then she slowly shook her head. Just how badly was Raven affected by her hallucinations?

"I…" Raven said, trailing off. "They're getting worse. I don't want to use my powers unless I have to." She looked up at Adeline. "If I start going crazy I want you to knock me out."

"What?"

Despite herself, Adeline was startled by the request. "Why?"

"Because my powers are based on my emotions," Raven replied. "There's no telling what would happen if I began to lose my mind."

Adeline followed Raven to a door bolted shut, concern etched on her face. A number pad was plastered to the door, obviously a combination was needed to open it. As they neared the door Adeline heard hoarse shouting, although she couldn't understand the words.

Well, Robin was definitely here.

 **-R-**

11:08pm

Jump City, California

Circus Tent

Robin was winning.

He charged forward, yelling incomprehensible war cries as he pummeled Slade to the ground. The mercenary wasn't fighting back. Every punch that Robin threw landed on him and made him stumble backwards. A swell of hope filled his chest and warmed him, giving him strength he didn't know that he had. As he fought on the offensive thoughts and memories of Slade went through his mind, electrifying him and only making him stronger.

 _"If you disobey even the smallest request—"_

Blackmail. Coercion. What kind of master would blackmail his apprentice? Slade held Robin too tightly. If he had honestly wanted Robin to join him he wouldn't have pushed him so far. How did ever he expect Robin to respect him if he constantly threatened to kill his friends? Bruce never demanded so much of him, never made threats to his life or to the people he loved.

 _"Excellent work, Robin. I think your skills are improving."_

Improving? Under his tutelage? Robin already learned from the best. Bruce took him under his wing and protected him. He trained Robin to protect himself, never for the sole purpose of becoming his sidekick. The reason Robin left Bruce in the first place was because he wanted the opportunity to prove himself. Perhaps it was a subconscious way to prove to Bruce that he could be his own man. But he didn't need Slade to do it. He didn't need to prove himself to anyone.

 _"The first thing you need to learn is gratitude—"_

Gratitude for what, Slade? For being able to learn under a madman like yourself? Perhaps in his twisted logic, but not Robin's. If Slade really wanted respect and gratitude then he would have picked someone else to be his apprentice. Someone willing for the opportunity to train underneath him. Besides, Robin already had gratitude for someone else. He held gratitude for Bruce, for Alfred, for everyone who ever encouraged him. For his friends, who were more good to him than Slade ever was.

 _"Who knows? I might even become like a father to you."_

A father? No, Slade would never become anything like his father. He could never replace the man who trained the daring young man who flew on the trapezes. He could never replace the man who was his father now, the man who did everything he could to protect him. Nothing Slade ever said or did would ever make Robin think of him as a father.

 _"All you care about is your WORTHLESS, LITTLE FRIENDS—"_

And all you care about is yourself, Slade. Did he bully others to feel good about himself? Force others to do his bidding because he couldn't do it any other way? Bruce didn't adopt him just so he could train him as a sidekick. He adopted him out of the goodness of his heart and did nothing to force Dick to become Robin. After losing the family he lost to Tony Zucco Robin formed another family of his own, first with Bruce and Alfred and then with the Titans. He protected them because he had experienced horrible loss before and never wished to experience it again.

 _"I am the thing that keeps you up at night…the evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind—"_

Robin had had enough. He couldn't live in fear all of his life. Why did he act so obsessive? Was it because of his upbringing with Bruce? He was determined, yes, but at the same time he could be a fun-loving kid. Slade didn't understand that. He had never known the young Robin who used to work with Batman, the young Robin who made witty comments whenever they beat up the bad guys.

For far too long he had allowed this man to haunt his nightmares. Even tonight he had allowed the dust to infiltrate his mind. Robin was sick of waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, wondering when Slade would plan his next attack. He was sick of remembering the way he lost to Slade every time they fought. He admitted openly to the others that he was afraid of Slade. Admitting he was afraid was one thing, but there was more Robin needed to do. He needed to admit it to himself. And then he needed to punch that fear in its ugly face.

 _"I. Am. Not. AFRAID!"_

He emphasized every single word with a punch to Slade's face. All of the frustration and worry and fear bottled up inside of him exploded in this single fistfight within his mind. To anyone else watching, he would appear to be some crazed mental patient jabbing at the air before him. But he didn't care. Everything horrible that Slade had ever done to him bubbled to his mind as he shouted. With a new spring in his step Robin launched himself into the air and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick directly at Slade's face.

Metal cracked as Robin's foot connected with the side of Slade's head. He heard the older man grunt as he backed away, his mask cracked down the middle. Robin's legs shook as he landed on the floor, the pain in his chest flaring up as he gulped down huge breaths of air.

Slade crumpled into a heap on the floor. Robin stopped fighting and breathed heavily, leaning forward with his hands on his shaking knees. Sweat and blood poured down his face, but Robin didn't care. He could tell from Slade's posture that he had beaten him. The man pushed himself to a sitting position and turned his single eye up to Robin.

For the longest time Robin always wondered what it would feel like to be in control like this. To have Slade be at his mercy for once instead of on the receiving end of the man's wrath. Robin always imagined that he would be older when it happened, more powerful, perhaps an equal to Batman. He knew that he couldn't physically defeat Slade without some help. Sometimes he wished for the day when he would become just as strong as Bruce. After all, the apprentice must always overcome the master.

And here, for the first time, Robin was looking down on Slade.

Slade looked up at him with his single eye. Was that mockery he saw, or merely amusement? Robin didn't know and he didn't care. He bent down and picked up Slade's bo-staff, grimacing a little as he wiped away the blood on the pants of his uniform. Robin gripped the bo-staff tightly, wondering what to do now that Slade was down. Slade's figure flickered a little.

"Well done," Slade said. "You've beaten me."

Robin's grip on the bloody bo-staff tightened. He wanted to beat Slade until he begged for mercy. A pity this wasn't the real man lying at his feet. If Slade was alive Robin would take off that stupid mask that haunted his nightmares. He had hurt so many people aside from Robin. Adeline. The Titans. Terra. Now Bruce. Even when the man was friggin' _dead_ he could cause mayhem.

"So what are you going to do now?" Slade shrugged his shoulders. "You're still locked in this room, Robin. You can't escape me."

He looked down at the mercenary and wondered what to do. Adrenaline still pumped through his system, fueling his anger that made his blood boil. Robin stepped forward and raised the bo-staff a little, as though he meant to hit Slade. At this, Slade shifted his position and rubbed his injured arm.

"You're not going to kill me," Slade said. "I know you too well."

Kill?

Although Robin never wanted to admit it, the thought had crossed his mind once or twice. When he stayed with Slade he always wondered what it would take to bring Slade down. If he had to take a life to save the lives of four others, would he be able to do it? Would he be able to put a knife in Slade's back or a bullet in his head? Would it be the right thing to do?

No.

He let the bo-staff drop from his hands. It clattered noisily to the floor as he backed away from Slade. Robin wasn't sure what would happen next. Would Slade get up and start terrorizing him again? A sigh of defeat escaped from Robin's lips.

Slade was right: Robin wouldn't kill him.

"You're so predictable," Slade said, pushing himself to his feet. "That's always been a weakness of yours, Dick."

Once again Slade towered over him. Robin wondered whether or not he just made a mistake. He looked up at Slade. Slade's figure flickered again. A frown crossed Robin's lips.

"You're already dead," Robin replied, "I don't need to kill you. I just need to let you go."

The events of the past week had made Robin realize that he simply needed to let this grudge go. For the past year he fought his internal fears, allowing it to build up inside him while he drifted through life in a kind of haze. All he needed was one little push over the edge. A little nudge or hint that Slade was back. In the daylight he could deny his fear. When he wasn't confronted with anything related to Slade he could deny his fear. But now…physically confronting the thing that haunted his nightmares…

Robin sat down Indian-style on the floor. He studied himself carefully before peeling back the uniform. He glimpsed the bright red tunic of his original uniform underneath the black leather. His shoes were also the same. Whatever Sladebot put this on him just removed his cape and gloves. Now that Robin thought about it, Sladebots probably did everything. It was a Sladebot who broke into TItans Tower. Sladebots who attacked them in the power plant. A Sladebot that dressed him in this stupid uniform. Even though he was dressed in this accursed apprentice uniform he was still Robin the Boy Wonder. Still Richard Grayson, the circus boy who lived under the guardianship of the billionaire Bruce Wayne.

Never Slade's apprentice.

"You have the ability to kill me," Slade said. "So why don't you?"

Robin sighed. Not in annoyance, but in pity.

"Because I'm better than that, Slade. Good and evil aren't complete opposites. Evil is parasitic on good. No matter what you say, evil cannot exist without good but good can exist on its own." Robin lifted his head. He thought of his insatiable need for an arch-enemy to defeat to prove himself to Batman that he was a true hero. "That's why I chose to become a hero, Slade. I don't need to kill others to earn a living. I don't need you."

He closed his eyes and breathed in slowly and deeply.

When he opened them he found no one there. Robin was completely alone. He looked around the darkness and waited for something to happen, his muscles tensing as he tried to control his terrified breathing. Although he wasn't sure if the visions would come back or not he breathed a sigh of relief.

Robin lifted his head and saw Slade's cracked mask hanging on the wall. That was all that was left of him: a husk, an empty mask that hid the nothingness underneath. He stood shakily to his feet and took the mask off of the wall. After a moment he drew back his arm and chucked it against the metal wall. It bounced off the wall noisily and landed back at his feet.

"Stay dead, Slade."

 **-Rae-**

11:13pm

Jump City, California

Circus Tent

 _"ROBIN!"_

Both women shouted as they pounded their fists against the metal door. They could hear Robin shouting in return. It irritated Raven that Robin was so close to her yet so far away. She could sense his mind screaming out in frustration.

 _"Slade!"_ Robin's mind shouted mentally to her. _"Slade's behind this!"_

"It's no use!" Adeline said, letting her hands fall to her side. "Damn it." She looked at the combination lock. "We won't be able to get this open in time unless we have the combination."

Raven's knees began to shake as flames erupted around her. The fires crept towards Adeline, but she shook her head madly to get rid of the visions. She knew that as long as she didn't interact with Trigon that she would be fine. But her powers were growing steadily more unstable. The demon part of her wanted to take control.

She placed a hand on the metal door and felt something vibrating beneath her fingertips. Whoever built this place built something around the room to prevent teleporters like Raven from entering the room. Fantastic.

"I'm sorry…" Raven murmured. "I can't use my powers…"

She placed her forehead against the cool steel door. It felt good against her hot forehead. The fact of the matter was that she couldn't use her powers (because she certainly could) but because she was afraid of what would be released if she did. With her mind in such an unstable and vulnerable state Trigon could attack at any moment and take over. They needed six numbers to unlock the door. Great. Raven didn't need to be a mathematician to understand that there were _thousands_ if not _millions_ of different combinations that could be used.

"Doesn't Robin know that he's infected with the dust?" Adeline asked.

"Yes, but he's still hallucinating. It will give him more time, but…"

But what? There were still three others to consider, not including Batman. There was nothing that she could for Gotham's Dark Knight. She just had to hope that Batman—like Robin did last week—would be able to figure out that he was hallucinating before it was too late. And from what Raven could tell Robin still suffered from his hallucinations.

A sudden thought crossed her mind.

 _No way,_ she thought, _Slade wouldn't be that stupid._

Would he?

It was a long shot that it would work. Perhaps he was cocky enough to not use the same numbers. Then again, Slade was a brilliant tactician. If he thought this far ahead…of course, this was assuming that Robin was correct in assuming that Slade _was_ behind this.

15-39-28.

That was the combination Robin used to unlock the box to Slade's message. That was the number that Slade so kindly left on the main computer. It was a long shot that those numbers would work, since Raven didn't know if Slade _was_ behind this, but they had nothing else to work with. They had nothing to lose.

Raven punched in the numbers.

Both of them waited. At first Raven thought that it didn't work. Did she expect it to? No. Then, to her astonishment the door slid open. Adeline and Raven shone their flashlights inside of the room.

A young man dressed in a black-and-tan outfit rushed out of the room, tripping over objects as he ran away from the room. Both Raven and Adeline watched him almost run into the wall opposite the cell. After a moment he stopped and stood quite still, his back still turned towards them. Adeline lifted her flashlight towards him.

"Robin?" Raven asked, her voice cautious.

Despite the lack of a mask, Raven knew instantly who it was. His frightened azure eyes stared straight into her violet ones, betraying more emotion than his mask could ever express. His face was covered with ugly bruises and blood trickled down his face. Raven couldn't help but let a gasp fall from her lips. This was the face he had been hiding ever since they met. The face that Slade knew while the Titans were left in the dark. Although she knew that Robin would eventually show his face one day this was not the way she expected it to go.

Without warning Robin threw his arms around her. Normally Raven disdained hugs, but for once she hugged him back. As she wrapped his arms around him she noticed that he was trembling.

"You're safe," he said, his voice cracking with emotion. He broke apart from her. "Where are the others?"

"I don't know. I wanted to find you first. Flash and Zatanna are here. They're rounding up all of the criminals who escaped because of the power outage."

Robin ran a hand through his hair as he began to think. Despite herself, Raven couldn't help but stare at his face. For years she had known Robin the Boy Wonder, not the civilian underneath the mask. She didn't recognize the face underneath, but the voice and mannerisms were exactly the same.

"Your uniform—" she began.

"I know, I know," Robin replied hastily. "I woke up in it. Sladebots attacked us, drugged us, and dragged us away. Mine put me in this uniform, but over my old uniform."

He pulled back the collar of his shirt to reveal the bright red underneath. Raven shot a sidelong glance to Adeline, who was also staring at the unmasked Boy Wonder. As Robin turned to face Adeline the older woman averted her eyes. Nothing about this encounter was obscene, so why was she acting like that? Did she feel like she was intruding by looking on his real face? Robin didn't seem to care.

"So you _did_ contact Adeline…" he murmured.

"Do you know who's behind this?" Raven asked.

Robin looked at her sadly, pondering his words. A pained expression crossed his face as he struggled to find the words necessary to explain. She sensed a mixture of strong emotions emanating from him, from confusion to bitter self-blame. After a minute of silence he spoke.

"Slade _was_ behind this," Robin said, "but he set up everything before he died. I accidentally tripped this whole plan into motion by picking up his mask."

Raven and Adeline exchanged strange looks.

"But Slade's dead," Adeline said, "so how—"

"You even said it yourself, Adeline," Robin replied, "Slade was a master tactician. He's always one step ahead of everyone else, including Batman." He looked up at both of them. "This is all my fault."

Although it technically was his fault, Raven could not find the words to accuse him. It wouldn't do anyone any good to blame Robin for all of this. Yet he was so quick to judge…so quick to judge himself for things that were out of his control.

"No," Adeline said sharply, "it's not your fault."

The older woman put a hand on his shoulder. Raven sensed a sort of motherly affection emanating from Adeline as she squeezed his shoulder. Why would she care about him so much? As far as Raven knew, they only met two days ago.

"You have to stop beating yourself up," Adeline said. "He's gone."

Robin's eyes flickered past Adeline's shoulder. Was he still hallucinating, or was he just nervous? Slowly, he nodded before turning away.

"There's nothing else to do but find the others before they kill themselves."

"But we don't even know where to look—"

"I do." Robin lifted his arms and placed his hands against the trapdoor. He pushed the trapdoor open. "Everyone is— _what?"_

Robin's brow furrowed as he pushed himself above ground. He stood in the center of the circus ring and looked around at the dark empty trapezes hanging above him. Against the backdrop of the colorful tent, Robin looked out-of-place in his apprentice uniform.

"Robin, are you all right?"

He turned at the sound of his name. Instantly a memory of two people flying on the trapezes went through Raven's mind. She felt a sense of nostalgia overcome him as well as a sense of fear. Now that Raven thought about it, she knew that this location wasn't chosen at random.

"I'm fine." He did look a little shaken. Raven could feel his uneasiness. "What I was going to say is this: those attacks made on us during the past week will give us clues as to where everyone is. The dust is like Scarecrow's gas—it makes them see their worst fears. Only the dust will eventually drive you insane and kill you if you give it the chance."

"Where are the others?" Raven asked.

"I'm not sure."

"So what do we do?" Adeline asked.

"We're going to split up. Raven, as long as the dust isn't messing with you too badly I want you to go after Cyborg. He was hacked, but he also obsessed over Brother Blood. Look in the ruins of the old HIVE Academy.

"Adeline, I told Beast Boy who you are. I want you to find him. Wolfman decided to target Terra's tomb. Beast Boy's either there or at the run-down carnival Terra destroyed some time ago. Find them and bring them to main street. We don't have enough time to bring them to Titans Tower. As for me, I'll go after Starfire."

"Aren't you infected with the dust also?" Raven asked. "Aren't you still hallucinating?"

Robin froze. He turned slowly towards Raven. "I had a face-to-face chat with Slade. He doesn't bother me anymore."

Raven was worried about a lot of things, especially Robin's relationship with his dead arch-nemesis. He had developed a habit of lying about his obsession with Slade. While Raven knew that trusted Robin on a lot of matters, he hadn't given her or the other Titans reason not to trust him when it came to Slade.

"So you won't be beating yourself up anymore?"

"It's a work in progress."

She looked at him steadily. That wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for. Did that mean that he could still see Slade, but that he could stop the hallucinations at will?

"What about your mask?"

Robin was always strict about keeping his identity a secret, even more so after he escaped from Slade's haunt. He didn't want to make the same mistake again.

"Well, it is pretty dark out." He glanced towards the trapezes again. "The escaped criminals may be looking for a Titan to beat up. No one will know who I am."

He jabbed a finger to the circus tent flap.

"Let's go."

 **-BW-**

12:13am

Gotham City

Wayne Tower

The room filled with light.

Batman scrambled to his feet and glanced wildly around. Momentarily disorientated from the sudden light, Batman stumbled as he looked for the Joker. He was aware of how tired he felt, of how much pain he was in because of the Joker's beating. His heart pumped madly in his chest, his eyes darting around the room. It looked exactly as it normally did. There was no blood on the walls. No terrified, half-dead Robin laying on the floor.

No Joker.

"Hey Batman," a familiar voice said. "Catch."

Something whizzed past him and tore through his cape as Batman twisted out of the way of the speeding object. An arrow buried itself in the wall behind him, quivering from the force of the sudden stop. Bruce whipped his head around to look at his attacker, a scowl set in his face as bat-a-rangs appeared in his hands.

 _What?_

Three Justice League members stood before him: Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, and Green Lantern. Were they here to help him? He took a second glance at the three and frowned. If they were coming to help him catch the Joker, then why did they look so serious? Green Arrow stepped forward, his hands still holding his bow taut.

"Hey, you know what bothers me the most?" Green Arrow asked, his tone mocking. "Cleaning up your crap."

Bruce found himself in a defensive position. While he knew that he could handle the Justice League he didn't want to be forced into taking them down. He also didn't know what Green Arrow was talking about and honestly didn't care. He stumbled around the room like a drunk, his eyes searching for Robin and the Joker. Where had they gone? They were just here!

"What are you doing here?"

"We're here to talk some sense into you," Green Lantern replied. "Everything you've been seeing is an illusion. It's all in your head."

All in his head? That wasn't possible! He saw the Joker. The blood running down his face was real. How could any of this be in his head? For a split second he thought about the night's events. The Joker's escape from Arkham…the revelation of his nefarious plot…his beating of Robin…

"Come on," Green Arrow said, "you're the greatest detective in the world. Surely you can figure this out."

An illusion? Batman paused in the act of snapping something back. He struggled to comprehend the night's events. What was reality and—if they were right—what was hallucination? Bruce didn't know what to think. Everything that had happened during the past few hours felt so real. But if he had been hallucinating, then he would have been able to figure it out.

Wouldn't he?

For a moment Bruce struggled to make a decision. If he was hallucinating, then were they hallucinations as well? The images of a dying Robin was almost too much for Bruce to bear. The evidence that the Joker escaped from Arkham just seemed too true to be faked. Bruce found himself gripping the sharp bat-a-rangs tightly. What should he do? What was going on? Even though he couldn't see anything he could still hear Dick's pleading voice...his screams as the Joker beat him to death with a crowbar. Bruce shut his eyes tightly. After losing his own parents he vowed never to let anyone else he loved die.

He raised his arm threateningly.

"Green Lantern, take him out!" Green Arrow yelled, nocking another arrow to his bow.

Batman threw his own bat-a-rang in response to another arrow flying towards him. As expected, Green Arrow managed to block the bat-a-rang with another round of arrows.

 _"Bruce!"_ Martian Manhunter said telepathically. _"We're only trying to help you!"_

Green Lantern formed a glowing green box around Batman. At once a sense of claustrophobia overcame Bruce, although he wasn't sure why he felt so claustrophobic. This was just Green Lantern trapping him with the ring's power. Why should he be worried? They were on his side, right? The sudden sense of claustrophobia re-triggered his desperation to find the Joker.

"You don't understand!" Batman shouted, pounding his fists against the wall. "I _need_ to find the Joker!"

"You don't need to do anything," Green Arrow said. "I'm sorry, but you needed to be taken down."

 _"DON'T YOU GET IT?"_ Batman roared. _"THE JOKER HAS ROBIN! THE JOKER IS KILLING HIM! THE JOKER IS—"_

"Oh my god, will you just _shut up?"_ Green Arrow snapped.

As he spoke several more Justice League members crowded around him, including Superman and Wonder Woman. All of them surrounded the box and glared at him like a monster in a cage. There was nothing in his utility belt that could break through the most powerful weapon in the universe. Bruce let his hands fall to his side. Yes, he could defeat each JLA member individually when he wanted to, but with all of them against him there was nothing he could do to win.

"What the hell are you doing?" Batman demanded. "Release me at once!"

Green Arrow snorted as he adjusted his hat. "After what you did? I don't think so, buddy."

"You attacked me with Kryptonite," Clark said. "Care to explain why?"

Bruce didn't say anything. There was no denying the fact that he attacked Clark with Kryptonite. Yes, he considered the Kryptonian his friend, but he had gotten in the way of his work. Bruce couldn't afford to have the Man of Steel interfere.

"Let him go, Lantern," Wonder Woman ordered.

After the briefest glance Green Lantern nodded and made the box disappear. Before Batman could move to attack Wonder Woman threw her lasso over him and pulled it tight. Batman crumpled to the ground as she yanked it forward.

"First thing's first, Batman," Superman said, his arms crossed over his great chest. "We have good reason to believe that you've been infected with the same dust Robin was infected with."

"What? How?"

"Think about it," Wonder Woman said. "Someone must have dusted you."

Batman merely glared at her.

Then it dawned on him: last night, when he was chasing the jewel thief. The kid must have gotten the tip-off from that morning's edition of the Daily Planet. Then he pulled that heist to get Batman's attention, all the while using it to conceal the true nature of his intentions: the infect Batman with the dust. How…could he be so blind?

"I…" he trailed off. "My god…"

He was infected with the dust. Bruce thought that he had it rough when he got zapped with Scarecrow's gas. But at least back then he _knew_ from the very beginning that he was gassed with a hallucinogen. Batman could act accordingly. This whole time he had been acting like a raving lunatic. A little warily, Wonder Woman loosened the lasso and placed it back upon her waist. Batman stood up slowly.

"I could have figured it out myself."

"Raven told us her suspicions after calling us." Superman grimaced. "And I'm sorry to say that she was right."

But why, though? As a detective, Batman always asked these questions. Why did the jewel thief bother to infect only him instead of the rest of the League? It bothered him that he couldn't figure this out himself.

"We're going to Jump City," Wonder Woman said.

"I'm sorry, but we're going to have to keep you restrained until all of the dust has left your system," Superman said. "The rest of us are going to head to Jump City."

Superman turned towards the other members of the Justice League. "I'd like at least one of you to stay behind to keep an eye on Bruce."

Bruce's eyes narrowed. He wasn't some little kid who needed a babysitter. The others exchanged nervous glances. This must have been Clark's idea. Of course it was Clark's idea.

To his surprise Captain Atom raised his hand. Superman nodded. Well, at least J'onn or Dianna weren't going to stay with him. Bruce didn't know if he could stand having them around.

"If you really need me I'll come via the telephone lines," Ray said.

"Then that's settled," Superman said. "If you want, Bruce, you can stay in contact with us. Take my communicator."

Superman handed Bruce his JLA communicator. Bruce took it without looking at the other superhero and placed it in his utility belt. It bothered him that _no one_ was going to let him go to Jump City after that fiasco. He knew that it was for the best, though. It just irritated him that this was Robin's problem and he couldn't do anything to help.

"We'll stay in touch," Clark said.

Superman launched himself into the air.

 **-JW-**

10:20pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

Jericho ran through the streets of Jump City with a squad of policemen following him. It had taken them a while to relay his idea on how to bring light into the city, since he was mute. While he wanted to help Flash and Zatanna fight the criminals he knew that they didn't have time to think of a plan to bring in light.

Initially, the police didn't even trust him. Jericho understood. He hadn't given them a reason to them to trust him. Why should they trust him? If he told them the truth about his father, then no one would trust him. Jericho didn't like that. He hated being connected to his mercenary father, although he wished for nothing more than his father to repent his ways.

It was because of his father that he was a mute. Yet despite his mother's hatred for the man Slade Wilson was still his father. Jericho knew that deep down he still loved his father and—he believed this to be true also—that his father loved him back.

They skidded to a halt as Jericho caught sight of a young man in a yellow-and-red uniform. He stood on top of a truck and held a bow-and-arrow in his hands. Jericho thought that the young man seemed familiar—he had definitely seen that kid around somewhere. Then he remembered watching the national news with his mother: of course, this was Green Arrow's former sidekick Speedy.

"Greetings from Star City," Speedy said, tipping his hat towards the policemen. "I got a distress call from Raven."

"Good," a cop said. "Then you're here to help?"

"I guess so," Speedy replied. "Got a call from my mentor too. He'll kick my ass if I don't help you guys out."

His arm became a blur as he shot an arrow towards a would-be thief. A shriek of surprise came from the thief's lips as he found himself pinned to the wall. The young hero smirked a little as he surveyed his vanquished foe.

"Speedy!"

Jericho felt someone speed past him in a red-and-gold blur. The Flash ran straight up to the younger hero with Zatanna following closely behind. The two JLA members ignored the quiet blond boy standing awkwardly next to the JCPD. He wondered how he was going to speak with them. Did they have a plan aside from rounding up all of the criminals in Jump?

An idea crossed his mind. Of course…it was perfect. Once his mother and the other Titans were found then Jericho could bring light to this city like a beacon of hope. Then everything would be well again. He turned to the three heroes, intending to tell them of his plan. They were sure to approve. And with the JCPD's help, anything was possible.

He smiled.

 **-BB-**

10:22pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

Beast Boy couldn't fight anymore.

He rolled on his back and breathed deeply, trying to ignore the immense pain he was in. Beast Boy hardly had the strength to shape-shift. Honestly, though, he didn't have the mental will to fight anymore.

Thoughts of the Doom Patrol ran through his mind. The Brain always called him the little green one, never by his actual name. Even in the Titans he knew that he was the weakest member. At least, that's what he always thought.

"What's the matter, Logan?" Slade asked. "Can't fight anymore?"

He didn't move as Slade towered over him. Why should he keep fighting? He knew that he was going to lose anyway. Everyone always lost when they fought Slade. The man was just too strong. Too intelligent. It would be pointless.

Morbid thoughts infused his mind. If he died then at least he would be able to see his parents again. He would see Terra again.

Beast Boy never thought that it would end this way.

Like everyone else, Beast Boy always thought that he would die as a happy old man. His choice of profession made that dream less likely to happen. Heroes weren't infallible. Every once in a while someone would die. Someone would mess up. Someone would turn to the other side.

"What's the point?" he asked dully. "You're going to kill me anyway."

What would Steve say? Or the other Doom Patrol members for that matter? Would Steve accuse him of weakness? That he wasn't brave enough? Or big enough? What?

Slade began to circle him again, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to rise. Why did this man's actions always seem so… _predatory?_

"You've always been the weakest one," Slade said, "you know, when I was searching for an apprentice I considered all of the Titans. But not you."

What was Slade trying to do now? Get into his head? Beast Boy rolled to his side and curled up into a ball. This wasn't real. He knew that. But all of the swirling emotions deep inside him confused him, and this hallucination just made everything else more confusing. What was reality and what was a hallucination?

Did he want Slade to hurt him? Did he want Slade to hurt him because Beast Boy couldn't figure out any other way to express the pain inside over Terra's death? Even after those weeks following her death Beast Boy still felt a great deal of loss.

And the Doom Patrol…why did Steve treat him so unkindly? Beast Boy always cracked jokes and pulled pranks because he could never do those things while he worked with the Doom Patrol. At the same time he told lame jokes to help release some of the tension he felt inside…the tension that Steve did nothing to help with. Rita somewhat and the others…well…the others were more indifferent to the little green kid.

"You're nothing."

Beast Boy turned his head to look up at Slade. While he was used to people talking down to him he wasn't sure if he agreed. Did Slade really believe that he was so much better than the Teen Titans? If he really was so great, then why did he feel a need to exploit others?

"So…if you're so great Slade, then why did you need an apprentice?"

Slade could talk down to Beast Boy all he wanted. He didn't care. He was used to it. What really bothered Beast Boy was the fact that—while Slade was alive—he always hurt other people. He always used other people to meet his own ends. First he used Robin to work for him. Then he manipulated Terra into joining him before using that suit to control her every movement. The sudden question made Slade pause in confusion.

"For a legacy, but that's not the point of this conversation Lo—"

"Why did you feel the need to control others?" Beast Boy snapped, getting to his feet. "Why did you hurt Terra?"

That was what angered Beast Boy the most. Because of Slade Terra could have been a great Teen Titan. Because of Slade Robin was frightened out of his wits and acted irrationally whenever the man's name was mentioned. Because of Slade Terra was dead and hundreds of others were hurt by his actions.

"That was her choice," Slade replied, "she decided to betray me."

"What kind of person do you think you are?" Beast Boy demanded, now striding right up to Slade. "Pushing people around to feel better about yourself…"

All at once Beast Boy remembered the things that Robin said to him two nights ago when they discussed Slade and Adeline Kane. Slade even hurt people before he met the Titans. The mercenary had no one except his butler, and even Wintergreen had had enough of Slade. The man was alone. And the only way he could feel good about himself was to push people around.

"That's where true power lies, Logan," Slade said.

"No, that's not true." Beast Boy puffed out his chest. "You're weak. You're weaker than I am. Your power comes from bullying others."

Who was stronger: the servant who brings the bread or the master ordering the servant? Obviously it was the former. Slade's figure flickered as Beast Boy cracked his knuckles.

* * *

 **A/N:** There: I made the whole uniform thing less creepy. Also, we've been talking about the nature of good and evil in philosophy class, so I added some philosophy stuff…because I can.

And I tried so very hard to make Robin's section as EPIC AS POSSIBLE. What I was trying to do with his section is pull together many—if not all—of the flashbacks Robin had and tie them together.

Adeline…why do you have to be so badass? You're awesome, woman.

Also, I think it's appropriate to have Robin and Beast Boy make the same conclusions about Slade's character. While Slade did terrorize Raven in season 4 I think that Beast Boy and Robin were affected the most by Slade. For an example of Beast Boy's hatred towards Slade just watch "Things Change" (an episode I absolutely DESPISE because Cartoon Network canceled the show and never resolved anything…grr…).

Feel free to rant at me in a review.


	29. Illusions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** There's a huge-ass spider outside of our dorm window that I named Shelob. However, that does not mean I own Lord of The Rings, Teen Titans, or hell any of the fandoms out there. *sobs*

**Disclaimer:** There's a huge-ass spider outside of our dorm window that I named Shelob. However, that does not mean I own Lord of The Rings, Teen Titans, or hell any of the fandoms out there. *sobs*

 **A/N:** SO MUCH WRITING IN THE PAST WEEK YOU GUYS. I JUST…IT'S PRACTICE FOR NANOWRIMO! GAH NOW I'M NOT SURE IF I CAN FINISH THIS BY HALLOWEEN! I NEED TO WRITE WRITE WRITE LIKE A MADWOMAN!

OK, Blues32 asked a great question that I thought I should share with everyone: Why can't Zatanna just cure everyone of the dust?

I have a lot of reasons for not having Zatanna do that. First of all, Zatanna is a powerful character who has the tempting potential to be used as a deux ex machina. She can do anything as long as she can utter the words. However, as pointed out by numerous DC comic book writers, Zatanna has never tapped into the full potential of her powers. She knows that she is a dangerous character and doesn't use magic unless she has to. Also, the dust is affecting the minds of the characters. Zatanna has messed with minds before and has regretted doing so (Refer to _Identity Crisis_ for more details) so perhaps she is a little unwilling to mess with the minds of these characters. And I think that I would have felt as if I were cheating if I did have Zatanna purify their minds and I think that you readers would have felt the same way. There are several emotional character arcs going on in this story (Robin's fear of Slade, Beast Boy's loss of Terra, Batman's strained relationship with Dick, etc.) and having them face their fears and overcome them is a lot better than having Zatanna fix everything. And perhaps Zatanna knows that they must face their fears as well (why do you think she told Raven to "try harder"?).

Sorry for that long author's note. Hope that answers your question, Blues32.

* * *

Chapter 28: Illusions

 **-S-**

10:26pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

Darkness crept along the edges of her eyes as her head swam. Despite the fuzziness Starfire could sense that something was amiss. There was something off about what she was seeing, but what could it be?

What if the Gordanians weren't really there?

Starfire breathed heavily and pushed herself to her knees, doing her best to ignore the Gordanians torturing her. At first she thought that all of this was real, but when Slade came in she began to doubt her sanity. Why did she react so angrily towards Slade? Wasn't he supposed to be dead? If so, then why was she seeing him?

She looked up at her Gordanian captors. They were always one of her worst enemies. But would they really go through all of the trouble of searching for her out on Earth again? Didn't Galfore say that the Citadel considered her less of a threat since she stayed neutral on Earth?

"Go away," she said firmly.

To her great surprise their scaly figures flickered like one of Control Freak's illusions. Starfire closed her eyes and opened them again. They were still there, sneering at her, but somehow they looked less real.

She wasn't afraid of the Gordanians. Not all Gordanians could be bad, could they? Every race has its share of good and bad people. Blackfire was an example of a bad Tamaranean. Slade was an example of a bad human being.

Slade reappeared in the doorway. Even as he approached her again she knew for sure that she was hallucinating. As he walked closer she saw that Slade was holding something in his hand. When she squinted she saw that it was Robin's domino mask. A shiver of fear crept down her spine, but then something else overcame her. Why should she be afraid of Slade?

But, more importantly, how to make him disappear?

"Does it bother you, princess, that I know Robin's secret identity?" he asked, his voice rather sweet. "I know it's been eating away at you ever since he almost deigned to show you his face."

Starfire stared resolutely at Slade, determined not to let him get to her head. It was just another example that she was hallucinating. Unless Slade was alive and watched that particular encounter through secret cameras, then there was no way he could know about that.

"I do not care. He trusts me anyway."

"Trust? My dear, he manipulated you and your friends. He lied to you when he became Red X."

Just listening to him say that out loud only made her angrier. The fact that it was true only made it worse, but Starfire had long ago forgiven him for lying to her and the other Titans. Just a few weeks ago that decision to become Red X came back to kick him in the butt when that mysterious thief stole the suit.

"It was a mistake he vowed never to make again."

"He ended up working for me!" Slade began to laugh. "How can you trust him when he doesn't trust you enough to show his face?"

Although she didn't want to believe it, she knew that Slade's words were reverberating in her mind. They held a certain sliver of truth to them.

She had had enough.

Even in death Slade still taunted the Titans, and Starfire was done with it. If Slade ever did return then she would keep his promise that she would be by Robin's side. So what if Slade made sneering comments to Robin about his relationship with Starfire? Did it matter? No, it didn't. The villain shouldn't have stuck his nose in the Titans' personal lives.

"I do not care if you know his secret identity," Starfire said. "I trust him more than you ever trusted him."

She began to circle Slade, not caring if she couldn't fire her starbolts. Even if her hands were bound she could exert a large amount of damage. Slade wasn't Tamaranean. He may be strong enough to physically defeat Robin, but that didn't mean he was strong enough to defeat Starfire.

"Whoever said that this was a matter of trust?"

Starfire remembered the hurtful things she said to Robin mere days before the apprenticeship began. She had not meant to sound hurtful, but only wanted to acknowledge the truth. Robin and Slade were very much alike. She knew that Slade tried to get Robin to trust him, and that he failed miserably in that attempt.

"I do."

She suddenly remembered a lot of things. Starfire remembered demanding to go with Robin to meet Adeline Kane, Slade Wilson's former wife. Slade was supposed to be dead. This was all just a hallucination.

While she did not consider Slade her personal arch-enemy (Blackfire, of course, took that position) she did become mad at Slade for causing so much trouble. While Blackfire only tormented her sister for personal gain she at least did not go out of her way to cause trouble. Slade did. Starfire's rivalry was a mere Cain and Abel kind of relationship (a story she later learned when she spent some time on Earth) while Robin and Slade's relationship was that of an abusive father and son.

"He didn't trust you, girl," Slade sneered. "And why should he trust a Tamaranean? A Troq?"

Slade's insults were beginning to go over her head. He was starting to sound less like Deathstroke the Terminator and more like a racist Gordanian. The real Slade would not speak like that. If Slade was indeed an illusion—part of the dust, perhaps—then how could she fight back without turning on the lights?

"I am nothing?" she echoed. "Perhaps to you, Slade, but I am not nothing to people who care about me."

She thought of the way she and Robin flew together over the rooftop of Titans Tower. She thought of all of the fun times she spent with the Titans. Of all of the inside jokes they now shared. They didn't care that she was a Tamaranean or that she was in line for the Tamranean throne. Even if Slade or the Gordanians thought that she was nothing there were other people who thought the exact opposite.

"That's cute."

Even in their darkest moments Robin still cared deeply for her. And now, Starfire realized, that was all that mattered to her. With or without the mask he cared for her. Why should she obsess over trust issues? Did it really matter whether or not he decided to tell her his secret identity?

She swung her shackled fists towards Slade's head. To her satisfaction, she heard his metal mask begin to crack as she continued to swing them at Slade. Back when she first arrived on earth she caused so much damage before the would-be Titans managed to calm her down.

 _"He trusts me!"_ she shouted, so angry that she began to scream in Tamaranean. "He never trusted your lies! He always trusted in the security of his friends!"

Memories of her times with the Titans flowed through her, empowering her and fueling her emotion-driven powers. Although she couldn't fire starbolts Starfire didn't care. She had enough strength to knock this villain into next week.

"You are finished, Slade."

 **-BB-**

10:29pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

Somehow, Beast Boy found the strength to fight back.

Everything negative that people ever told him barreled through his mind as he fought Slade, gaining confidence with every punch he managed to land on Slade's face. People thought he was the weakest one of the team, the little kid who couldn't do anything special aside from shape-shift. Just because he always considered himself the jokester of the group didn't mean that he couldn't kick butt.

Yet Beast Boy wasn't doing this for himself. He was doing this for Terra, for every single person Slade ever hurt.

"You think you're so smug," Beast Boy said, "but you're nothing but a low-life bully!"

 _"What did you do to her?" Beast Boy demanded._

 _"Nothing she didn't want," Slade replied._

A roar of fury escaped him as he transformed into a T-Rex. Slade's single eye widened as he charged forward with his jaws opened wide. When he worked for the Doom Patrol Steve always told him to think big.

At least with the Doom Patrol Steve said those things in an attempt to help Beast Boy. He wanted to teach Gar to take care of himself. Perhaps it may not have been the best way to go about doing it, but Beast Boy took every negative thing to heart. It made him the person he is today. The things that Slade were telling him now were meant to hurt him and bring him down.

Slade reached up and held Beast Boy's jaws opened, his muscles straining to hold the changeling back. He didn't seem so tough now. Beast Boy remembered the last time he faced Slade, back at the carnival when Slade so rudely interrupted his inevitable kiss. The thought of that only boiled Beast Boy's blood more.

Flicker.

Flicker.

Flicker.

Every punch that he threw at Slade caused the mercenary to flicker, which only encouraged him. This Slade wasn't real. This Slade was just a figment of his imagination. Beast Boy didn't have to take crap from anyone. He only allowed people close to him to talk crap to him. Raven could make all of the pessimistic comments she wanted. He welcomed it. Beast Boy was aware that he was fighting his imagination, but he didn't care.

This was for Terra.

 **-AK-**

10:33pm

Jump City, California

Carnival

She was going after the changeling.

Adeline pushed open the door slowly, her hand resting on the hilt of her gun. There was no telling what would happen next. One of her husband's Sladebots could be waiting for her on the other side of the door. After she tried to shoot his eye out, she wasn't sure if he would be willing to kill her.

She shined her flashlight into the dark room. Adeline didn't know that much about the changeling apart from the fact that he used to work with the Doom Patrol. But if he was so infected with the dust that he would attack anything that moved, then she would be forced to shoot in self-defense.

She hoped that it wouldn't come to that.

Hesitantly, she stepped into the room. She found that she couldn't help but let her thoughts drift towards her recent encounter with the Boy Wonder. Why was he dressed in that strange uniform? Why was he unmasked?

Since she used to live near Gotham, Adeline had recognized the face. Who wouldn't? Dick Grayson was the ward of one of the most famous billionaires in the country. It was also common knowledge that Dick Grayson moved out to Jump to attend some private school or another. As Adeline thought about she began to see Slade's thought process on the subject of Robin's secret identity. Had he been stalking Grayson since he left Gotham? Adeline shivered at the thought.

Slade had done some terrible things to all of the Titans and some members of the JLA. After that fiasco with the nanoscopic probes Slade went after someone else: Tara Markov.

If possible, that had turned out even worse. The girl—nicknamed Terra—died in a volcanic explosion in an attempt to stop Slade. From what Adeline knew Slade treated the girl like crap. Why? Adeline was never treated like that. Slade always treated her with respect, but that was probably because she was the one who trained Slade in the first place. Terra was just a young girl who had none of the training Adeline did. She didn't have a chance to defend herself. At least Robin was trained by the Dark Knight.

Adeline crept along the creepy old house of mirrors. She knew from watching the local news that Beast Boy and Slade fought inside of here. About a week afterwards the carnival closed down. Cobwebs graced the corners of the rooms.

Aside from the Boy Wonder, Slade screwed with Beast Boy. Why did he enjoy tormenting the Titans? Why? At least when he worked undercover he had contracts with the higher end of the society. Slade used to assassinate for some very important people. Did he finally tire of working for other people?

Why was her husband such a complex person?

Why was she even thinking about him again? Adeline had to let him go. Well, she thought that she had learned to let him go years ago. She was glad that the man was dead. But at the same time the loss of a young life was still too high a price to pay for Slade's death.

She heard shouting. Adeline stiffened as she recognized the voice shouting. Beast Boy _was_ here.

"Beast Boy," she shouted. "It's going to be fine."

She quickened her pace. Her footsteps echoed loudly off of the walls as she followed the sound of Beast Boy's shouts. Adeline hoped that she wasn't too late.

Adeline kicked down the door. The green changeling was jabbing and kicking and swiping at empty air. He looked up sharply when she shone the flashlight in his face. Like the rest of the Titans she found him in a state of despair. His purple-and-black uniform was ripped in several places. Beast Boy turned his green eyes from his empty fists back to Adeline's face.

"Who are you?" he asked, squinting.

"Adeline Kane."

Understanding spread across the changeling's face. He allowed his hands to fall to his sides as he hung his head a little.

"I know I'm hallucinating…" he mumbled. "And I know who you are."

That wasn't the answer she was expecting from Beast Boy. She knew from TV interviews that he was the jokester of the group, the youngest member of the Titans and previously the Doom Patrol. Perhaps his interaction with the dust caused him to become more serious than usual.

"Everyone was infected with the dust," Adeline said, "all of the Titans. We need to go to main street. We'll get everyone help from there."

"It must have been that hissing noise I heard before I blacked out," Beast Boy mumbled

"Did you talk to Robin? Does he know who's behind this?"

Adeline stayed silent. While she knew that Beast Boy had a right to know who was behind this, she felt as though Robin should be the one to tell him. She wasn't really an ally of the Titans yet. At least, Adeline didn't feel that way.

"Come with me. He'll explain when we get there."

 **-CK-**

10:43pm

Jump City, California

Location Unknown

Superman flew.

He flew faster than he ever had in his life. When it came to speed he might not be able to go as fast as Flash, but he could come pretty close. Wonder Woman followed closely behind in her invisible jet. Green Arrow and two other JLA members sat in the jet.

"Clark, are you all right?" Diana asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Still a little woozy from the Kryptonite."

"So what's the plan?"

The plan? It seemed as though Raven had everything pretty organized in Jump City. He spoke with Flash a few minutes ago to get an update. Working alongside with the JCPD Flash and Zatanna managed to get a bunch of them rounded up. There were just the big and dangerous criminals to worry about—like Cinderblock and Plasmus.

His communicator buzzed.

"Superman!" Raven said. "We found Robin."

"Good," Superman replied, hope swelling in his chest. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He's managing to fight off his hallucinations for the moment. Right now we've split up and we're looking for the other Titans."

That was the best news Clark had heard in a while. He heard Raven log off. While Clark trusted the Titans he—like so many others in the JLA—felt the need the help because they were children. But as this crisis continued Clark felt more aware of the fact that these kids could handle themselves.

"I don't think we can do anything to help the Titans now," he said. "Robin and Raven have things covered. The best thing we can do is round up the criminals."

They flew.

Would they be in time? The others—Flash and Zatanna as well as the JLA's former sidekicks—could hold their own. The cold wind whipped his spit-curl back as he sped towards California, his scarlet cape flapping noisily in the wind.

Clark was considered the ultimate authority among everyone in the superhero community, but sometimes he felt as though he didn't deserve that honor. Eventually there would come a day when Superman wouldn't be able to save people, a day when Superman would eventually be defeated and have to retire. But today wasn't that day.

And tomorrow wouldn't be either.

They arrived.

"The Justice League!" a criminal shrieked, dropping the television that he was holding.

Clark didn't smile as he towered over the petty villains. They weren't worth his time, but the JCPD really needed help.

 _"It's Superman!"_ a criminal screamed, running away.

"Shall we?" Green Arrow asked.

Superman nodded.

Almost at once the JLA members leapt out of Wonder Woman's invisible jet and moved to attack. Clark shouted orders for certain members to go after certain villains he knew that the JCPD couldn't handle. Plasmus was out and about in some factory. Cinderblock was smashing things in a quarry.

"What the hell!" Johnny Rancid shouted, tensing into a fighting stance. "This isn't your town, Supes! What's the Justice League doing here?"

Superman recognized these kinds of thugs. He recognized Rancid from studying the rooster of Titan villains. He wasn't much of a threat. Rancid was mostly all talk and no action.

"Does it really matter why we're here?" Clark asked, reaching down to pick up the thug. "You better come quietly unless you want to say hello to my fist."

Johnny Rancid protested as Clark picked him up. Even though he probably considered himself a tough guy there was no way he could be invincible to the Man of Steel's fist. His helmet fell off of his head and clattered to the street below.

"W-why are you doing this?" Johnny Rancid asked. "Why are you here?"

"Because we're a family," Clark said. "And when you mess with one of all, then you mess with _all_ of us!"

He meant it. It was an unspoken agreement among most of the superhero community that if someone like Dick Grayson was attacked, then everyone would be concerned. Everyone would fight back.

Everyone was part of the family.

 **-BW-**

12:28am

Gotham City

BatCave

What could Batman do?

He sat at his computer in the Batcave with Alfred by his side. Atom volunteered to stay behind with Bruce to make sure that he didn't go crazy again. He sat on the computer monitor and watched Bruce work. Bruce stared at all of the computer screens and studied the evidence at hand.

"You okay, Bruce?" Ray asked.

"I'm fine," Bruce replied. "I'm using the dust in my system to formulate an antidote."

He moved away from the computer screen as Alfred fiddled with the probes connected to his head. Honestly, he felt a little embarrassed that he acted so irrationally. He didn't like the fact that Ray was here to make sure that he didn't do anything stupid. How could he now that he knew he was infected with the dust?

"How did the Titans manage to cure Robin the first time?"

"They waited it out. Eventually it went away."

Bruce massaged his forehead. There were still so many questions that needed answering. Why was he attacked? What about the rest of the Justice League? Why weren't any of them affected by the dust as well? From experience he knew that it couldn't be a coincidence that only he was attacked.

"The dust was meant to kill me," Bruce muttered. "Why?"

Both Ray and Alfred shrugged.

He hung his head slightly as he searched his memory for any sort of clue. The reason that the Tamaranean was personally attacked with an article from the Daily Planet was because it was a signal for the jewel thief. Once the thief got the signal he moved to attack Batman, making sure that he led him to the baseball field so that Batman wouldn't notice the dust. Whoever was behind all of this madness know not only the Titans well, but also Batman. Who could be such a master of psychology?

"I wish I could help, but I'm a physicist not a neurologist," Ray said.

Bruce found himself thinking back to his conversation with Dick. Although his mind had mostly been on the whereabouts of the Joker he still remembered what Dick was talking about. He talked about his time with Deathstroke and of how he was forced to steal from Wayne Enterprises.

Bruce sighed.

The last thing he ever said to the kid was the most demoralizing thing he could have ever said to him. What if Dick died? What if the Titans died? How could Bruce ever forgive himself then?

One of the computer screens was tuned into a California news channel that constantly updated the situation in Jump City. So far people were using the temporary blackout as an opportunity to pillage. The JCPD were running around trying to apprehend criminals with the help of the Justice League and a few honorary Titans. Just a few minutes ago reports came in of several Justice League members running around Jump with one of the Titans—Raven.

The thing was that Bruce didn't know what he could do to help. As far as he knew, he was still infected with the dust. He wanted to help. He had to help. But he had ruined his chance to go directly to Jump City by acting like a lunatic.

Just like the perpetrator planned.

"I don't understand how you managed to beat yourself up so badly, Master Bruce," Alfred said. "You look as if the Joker really did beat you up with a crowbar."

At the mention of a crowbar Bruce snapped up his head, Dick's cries of pain echoing in his ears. He winched as Alfred peeled back his uniform and dabbed at a wound with rubbing alcohol. Did he really do this to himself? Scarecrow's gas did nothing more than scare the wits out of a person. Slade's dust however…it physically hurt people.

"Never mind that, Alfred. I'm fine."

"What are you trying to do?" Ray asked.

"I want to know the motivation of the man behind this," Bruce replied, "and I want to know where Dick is."

He studied the security camera footage just before the blackout. He watched in silence as the Teen Titans fought the criminal Overload. Bruce had to admit that Robin's team was skilled. They worked well together as a team. As the green changeling who used to work with the Doom Patrol got shocked Robin leapt in front of him. That boy…he always did so much for his friends.

 _"I also believe," Alfred said, "That Dick defended you while he was with Deathstroke."_

Dick defended him? Even after all of the bitter arguments and harsh words exchanged Dick still trusted him? Bruce shook his head. Why was he thinking about Deathstroke again? The man obviously wasn't behind this business with the dust. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he searched for more information regarding the Titans' fight at the power plant. Surely, the security footage held some sort of clue to—

His fingers slowed as his eyes caught sight of something strange in his files. He always kept a mental inventory of what was in his files, and he knew for sure that he did not put this here. Bruce could tell that it was a video file, but who put it here? Why didn't he notice this before?

Bruce's eyes narrowed as he opened the video file on the Bat computer. Dick told him about the message that Slade left for him on the main computer in Titans Tower. Warily, Bruce clicked on the file and allowed it to play.

"Hello Wayne."

Deathstroke's face appeared on the screen. Bruce found himself tensing. This was a message from Deathstroke? Had someone come in and installed this on the Bat computer while he was away? Where did it come from? Ray and Alfred clustered around the screen to listen to what the mercenary had to say.

"Perhaps I should be thanking you for finding the boy for me. I must admit that you trained him well. I will also admit that you are a formidable opponent yourself. But your influence on Dick is strong and, quite frankly, annoying. It really must annoy you to know that he is here with me training to be an assassin. While I would love to chat with you I know better than to confront you. It's not that I'm afraid of you, because I'm not, but because I just don't want to.

"Does it bother you, Wayne, that I know who you are? I could blackmail you as well, but I'm not going to. Not while I have Dick under my control. I don't care if you continue to play the hero in Gotham. But if you get mad enough to come to Jump know that several lives will be at stake. I will not hesitate to kill you. I will not hesitate to kill his friends. I'll slowly break him, Wayne, until everything you taught him is turned against him."

The video turned off.

Slowly, Bruce turned towards the other two men in the room. Captain Atom gazed at the computer screen with wide eyes, his mouth open slightly ajar. But Alfred, however, merely stared back at Bruce.

"What is this?"

"A message from Deathstroke," Alfred replied. "What else could it be?"

At first Bruce opened his mouth to say something scathing, but then thought better of it. From what he could tell the message was made during the time Dick worked for Deathstroke. This was obviously sent to taunt Bruce. Suspicion grew within Bruce as he looked steadily at Alfred. He had a sense that the old butler was hiding something from him…namely the fact that Bruce didn't find this message until now.

Why?

Then it hit him.

"My God…" Bruce murmured. "Deathstroke…his mask…Dick benefits."

"What?" Ray asked.

"Dick benefits," Bruce repeated. "Deathstroke meant to kill everyone close to him. He meant to kill me and the Titans so he could get closer to Dick."

It was sick. It was twisted. But, in Deathstroke's mind, it made perfect sense. In Deathstroke's mind he was giving Robin a grand opportunity. The only thing holding him back was his concern for loved ones. Bruce wasn't sure if he felt better knowing this piece of information or not.

 **-R-**

10:48pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

It felt strange for him to roam around without a mask on his face.

No one gave him a second glance as he raced through the streets of Jump City. Without the Slade insignia on his chest no one really knew what the uniform meant. Without his mask no one knew who he was.

 _Let's see,_ Robin thought, _the attack on Starfire consisted of the Daily Planet's article on a Gordanian invasion._

He gritted his teeth as he tried to think of a place where Starfire could be. As soon as he stepped out of the trapdoor he knew that Slade picked specific places for them to be. What did Slade hope to accomplish by placing Robin underneath the circus tent? Did he hope to gloat over him, force Robin to turn his back on the place he grew up in? Robin could only assume that Slade didn't plan on being dead for this part of his plan.

The problem was that Starfire was from Tamaran. If those personal attacks on all of the Titans were mere foreshadowings of the real attack—what was happening now—then where on earth would Slade think to put Starfire?

"Where do you think you're going, young man?" Slade's voice asked.

Robin ignored him as he ran past Slade's figure. He heard the pattering of Slade's boots against the sidewalk as the mercenary began to chase him. These hallucinations kept coming back, but every time Slade merely became an annoyance instead of a threat.

He skidded to a halt as three cops ran in front of him.

"What are you doing out here, kid?" one of them asked. "You should be inside! It isn't safe to be out here, especially with the Titans missing!"

"Understood, officer," Robin said, nodding.

He watched them chase another thief. Robin wondered vaguely what Commissioner Gordon was doing in Gotham to help Batman, if he was aware of the situation at all. Maybe he should find a JLA member here and try to contact him to see how the situation was over there. Slade appeared in front of him.

"So, you prefer to be the civilian?" Slade asked, his voice snide. "Never one of greatness?"

"Oh shut up, Slade," Robin snapped. "Go back to hell."

Slade faded out of existence. How long would he have to deal with him? Robin already went through a catharsis of sorts and had no desire to go through it again.

Now, where was Starfire?

Robin stopped and leaned against a wall, already winded. He didn't want to think about the fact that he harmed himself this badly—again. The loss of blood made his head dizzy. By all accounts, he shouldn't be running around in this state. He should be resting. Perhaps he could contact one of the JLA members—but no.

Determination rose within him. He wasn't a child who allowed the adults to fix everything. Even while he was Slade's apprentice the Titans didn't call Batman even though they had every good reason to. The Titans weren't children. Robin was hurt, yes, but he didn't want the Justice League to think of them as amateur children. He wanted them to think of the Titans as equals.

"If you stayed as my apprentice you know I would have killed the Tamaranean," Slade said, appearing again at Robin's side. "She was too much of a distraction."

Robin's eyes snapped open in annoyance. But this time he didn't make the illusion go away. Instead of fighting he began to talk back. If Slade was going to stick around he might as well get some information out of him.

"Why should you have cared about that?" Robin said. "You never mentioned it to me when I came back from Wayne Enterprises."

"If our little conversation wasn't so rudely interrupted by your so-called friends, then I'm sure the conversation would have moved towards her."

"Where did you put Starfire?" Robin demanded.

Again, he became aware that he was talking out loud to himself again. Yet he knew that the answer to his questions where somewhere in his mind. Why would Slade mention Starfire to him? No, Slade didn't actually mention Starfire to him. Slade was a figment of his imagination.

Was his mind subconsciously so worried about Starfire that it manifested in Slade's taunting?

 _I'm always so worried about Starfire,_ Robin thought, _sometimes more than the others._

He liked her. Well, of course he liked her. She was a nice person who went out of her way to do nice things for her friends. But one of the few questions he had been struggling with ever since he met her was his affection for her. Did he like as more than a friend? Could he admit that to himself? If so, what could he do? Superheroes don't date teammates. It was always a bad idea. But sometimes he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming affection for her. And…he had to admit…she was a good kisser.

"Somewhere where you'll never find her," Slade replied.

"You're wrong."

When she first arrived on Earth she spent the first few hours causing havoc, damaging main street as she tried to get the handcuffs off of her. Robin, of course, had no idea what he was getting himself into when he first followed that green streak of light. That was his first night in Jump City and he was looking for a fight. That morning he fought with Bruce about his decision to move out of Gotham.

Robin racked his brains for the answer. Her hallucinations would have something to do with the Gordanians. So where would she be? The others were easy enough to guess, but there were no Gordanians here to take her away. Then again...his eyes widened in astonishment.

Robin took off like a madman, pushing people out of his way as he raced towards his new destination. Of course, that was the reason why Slade mentioned Starfire to him! Robin's feet pounded against the sidewalk as he ran towards a familiar building, one that he deliberately avoided ever since that infamous rooftop encounter.

Wayne Enterprises.

He wasn't aware of anything else except his own thoughts. Robin ran and ran, never minding the throbbing pain in his sides or of his tired body screaming out in anguish. It was a long shot that Starfire was being held at Wayne Enterprises, but somehow he felt as though it would be the place she would be. He knew the place from inside-out. With the city's power out all security systems would be down at all major companies. It would only be too easy for the Sladebots to take her there after disabling the guards.

Why would Starfire be there? If Slade masterminded everything to make sure that it maximized Robin's benefit, then of course he would also attack Wayne Enterprises. And although her visions would concern the Gordanians, Robin suspected that they would contain something else.

As he approached the large building he saw that someone had obviously broken into the building. Some of the windows were broken. His heart fell at the sight of the building in such a damaged state. He pushed the double doors open and found security guards blindfolded and hogtied on the floor. Robin approached one and ungagged him.

"What happened?" Robin asked.

"Robots," the guard gasped. "Lots of them. Knocked us out. Next thing we know we're tied up like this."

"Did they bring anyone in with them?"

"A girl…the Titan."

"Do you know where they took her?"

"No, but probably upstairs."

His hand moved to untie the guards, but then Robin remembered that he was standing here unmasked. That wouldn't be a smart idea, especially since some of the guards may recognize him as the ward of their employer.

Instead he left them there for the police to find. They would be fine. He needed to find Starfire before her hallucinations destroyed her mind. Robin raced up the stairs, leaping two or three steps at a time.

He unhooked a flashlight hanging from his utility belt and turned it on. Hopefully Starfire hadn't gone crazy yet. She could produce her own light…so the hallucinations couldn't be affecting her as much as the others.

Right?

He directed the beam of light around the empty room. The lack of sound worried him. The only thing he could hear was the blood pounding through his ears.

 _Damn you, Slade,_ Robin thought, _you knew this would hurt me…you knew that I liked her._

Something loud thumped upstairs. Robin immediately began climbing the stairs again. He was almost back in the room where the prototype he stole was from. As he neared climbed the stairs the noise grew louder and louder.

He burst into the room and found Starfire there. Her hands were shackled, preventing her from firing her starbolts. She turned her head at the sudden light. To his surprise Starfire leapt up, swung her hands at the ceiling, and escaped through the vents.

Robin flung himself through the vent in the ceiling. He was uncomfortably reminded of the time Slade made him break in here to steal the prototype. Slade didn't even want him to steal it so that he could use it—Slade just wanted him to steal from Wayne Enterprises. Cool air kissed his face as he climbed up to the rooftop of Wayne Enterprises.

Robin felt himself beginning to panic. He had no powers. From previous experience Robin knew that Starfire could cause some real damage when she wanted to. Without his mask how could he convince her that everything was all right?

Starfire stood near one of the giant letters, visibly shaking as she stared off into the distance. As Robin hesitantly drew near he realized that she was speaking in rapid Tamaranean.

"Starfire…" Robin said, taking her hand. "Princess Koriander…"

She stopped her thrashing and looked at him. He knew that this must look strange to her. An unknown boy dressed like Slade just took her hand. But when he said her real name her green eyes widened.

"R-Robin?"

He nodded.

Robin hoped against hope that Starfire would come to her senses. Her eyes searched his face, drinking in every single detail. Confusion spread across her face.

"But…Slade…Slade captured you and…"

"Slade is dead," Robin replied softly, "he hasn't done anything. You're safe, Star."

He took out a small screwdriver from his utility belt and began to unlock the handcuffs preventing her from using her powers. She looked at him warily, just like she did before when he helped her fight the Gordanians.

Robin embraced her. In that embrace he tried to convey all of the hurt that he felt and all of the hurt that he knew she must be feeling. He wrapped a hand around her neck and caressed it softly, as though trying to tell her through his gentle touches that everything was going to be okay.

He was so close to her face, his lips a mere inch away from hers. As he lifted his head to look up at her she looked straight into his eyes. Starfire lifted her hand and touched his face gingerly like a blind woman, her soft fingers gently brushing over his purple bruises.

"You have beautiful eyes."

He burst out in another fit of sobs. Both of them clutched each other tightly as though they would never let each other go, as though they were Paolo and Francesca bound to be in each other's arms for all of eternity. Tonight he almost lost her. Whatever Slade said about this benefitting him, Robin knew that it was all a lie: losing her would never benefit him.

He could sense the imaginary Slade watching him from afar, but Robin didn't care. If anything, he was going to show Slade what true love was like. This would remind Slade of his own loss of Adeline—a loss Slade would never regain if he was still alive.

"S-Starfire," he choked, stumbling to find words for what he had to say, "this is all of my fault."

How could he ever explain this to her? This was all his fault. He began to babble words. Starfire put a finger to his lips.

A beam of light fell upon them.

He saw the blond-haired boy—Joseph Wilson—standing before him dressed in a strange uniform. He held a flashlight in his hand. At first Robin felt confused. What was Joey doing here? And why was he dressed in that uniform?

"Joey?" Robin asked, confused. "What are you doing here?"

 _"Call me Jericho,"_ Joey signed.

The Metahuman mute explained exactly what he planned to do. Although Robin didn't quite understand everything he thought that it was a good plan. It wasn't as if he had a plan himself. In his condition he wasn't quite fit to act as the leader. Now he just had to survive. Everyone was working together now. This was all going to work out.

Somehow.

"Go."

Jericho nodded and ran off. Truth be told, Robin would have never expected Slade's son to be so…different. He could almost see why Slade looked for an apprentice outside of his family. Joey's personality was more like his mother's. Perhaps, if his plan worked, Robin may consider him as an honorary Titan.

He wrapped his hand around her wrist and turned his head towards her. Robin entwined his fingers in hers and squeezed her hand reassuringly. He remembered the way she held his hand back in Slade's haunt. But now, instead of her being his anchor, Robin held his hand to be her anchor to reality. A totem, as it were.

"Let's fly."

* * *

 **A/N:** How's that for shippy goodness? I'm not much of a romance writer, so how did I do with that?

I took a class in Dante studies last year…so I know the Divine Comedy really well and couldn't help but throw in another reference to The Inferno. In the first circle of hell are the lustful, who are forced to be in each other's arms for all of eternity. Paolo and Francesca are two people Dante meets whom he feels sorry for. Um...this is a chapter I'll probably go back and work on some more.

MWAHAHAHA another message left by Slade!

Also, it's nice when you guys tell me in a review that I goofed up, but it would be very helpful to tell me where I goofed up so that I can fix it. I will go back to edit previous chapters.

And for those of you interested in Batman Reborn stuff I did release a one shot about Dick and Damian two weeks ago. It's called "The Choices We Make."

BTW, does anyone know when Young Justice airs? I want to check it out!

LOLZ, go review now.


	30. Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN! Oh what, I don't own Teen Titans? This makes me sad.

**Disclaimer:** LET'S DO THE TIME WARP AGAIN! Oh what, I don't own Teen Titans? This makes me sad.

 **A/N:** I'm skipping meals to finish this. Are you happy?

Also, thanks for telling me when Young Justice premieres! Now I have to go find me a tv with cable…

Unfortunately, I do not believe this will be finished by tonight. No way. Not with Halloween sheninigans to deal with. The last few chapters will be posted by this weekend. Somehow.

And yes, rikku92, I am dressing up as a Green Lantern (A;HSALKJ;FDSALKJ NEW MOVIE WITH RYAN REYNOLDS AS HAL JORDAN). And how shall I be celebrating this Hallows of Eve? That's right, by trick-or-treating at faculty housing. That means: we go bother our professors and get free candy. Some will be annoyed but most will be highly amused. Always awesome is the music professor who makes us perform a skit for candy.

* * *

Chapter 29: Light

 **-S-**

10:58pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

She flew.

They streaked through the cool air above the city. At first Starfire wasn't sure if would be able to fly, since she was so emotionally distraught. But the way he said those two words caused happiness to swell within her.

She glanced down and felt color rising to her checks as she caught yet another glimpse at his face. Starfire always fantasized about what he looked like underneath the mask. Sometimes she did not want to look at him without the mask. What if she did not like what she saw? What if he did not live up to her expectations? The more she thought about it, however, the more she began to doubt these concerns of hers.

For an Earthling he was incredibly handsome. His dark hair whipped against his sweaty forehead as he looked down on Jump City. What struck Starfire the most was the color of his eyes…a piercing crystal blue that could melt any girl's heart. Without his mask he looked a lot more amiable, more approachable than as Robin. What was the name that went with the face?

Could this really be the same person as Robin, the Boy Wonder?

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"To main street," he replied. "I don't know how the others are handling their hallucinations. All of our communicators were taken when we were captured. Perhaps if Martian Manhunter was here…"

She touched down on a rooftop overlooking the bay. There were so many questions she wanted to ask.

"Why is your mask off?" she inquired.

"I needed to talk with Slade face-to-face," he replied. "But perhaps it's better this way. If people recognized me as Robin…it just wouldn't be good."

He put one leg up on the ledge of the roof, leaned forward a little on his knee, and looked out towards Jump City. This was his city, the city that the Titans protected. He furrowed his brow as he tried to think of a plan.

"What did Jericho say to you?"

"Right now we just need a little light," he replied, "Beast Boy and Cyborg may not realize that they're hallucinating. Jericho has a plan to temporarily bring power back to the city. I want everyone to meet on main street so we can figure this out together."

She couldn't help but notice what uniform he was dressed in. Even without the armor on she recognized it as his old apprentice uniform. Starfire hated seeing him in that uniform. And she especially hated seeing him in that uniform without his mask on. It just reminded her of the terrible things that Slade did to him…and by hurting him Slade also hurt those close to Robin.

Now that Jericho was gone there was very little light around. Starfire thought that she saw a flicker of her hallucinations surrounding her. While she knew that she had enough mental willpower to drive them away they still frightened her.

"Robin…"

"What?"

"I just…I am so very confused."

It had nothing to do with the fact that everyone was hallucinating. Starfire felt confused over what her hallucinations had implied. Slade told her that Robin fancied her…much more so than any other Titan.

"What are you confused about?" Robin asked.

"Many things."

She didn't even know where to begin. At the same time Starfire knew that this wasn't the time for her to be speaking of such things. They had to save their friends. Robin visibly swallowed as he waited for her to say something. He took her hand and squeezed it again.

"I have to go, Star. Jericho needs help. Go find the others and wait there for me."

Starfire nodded. She watched the boy wonder fling himself from the rooftop, resisting the urge the fly after him. She didn't understand American sign language, so she didn't know what Robin and Jericho were planning.

She flew away.

 **-Rae-**

11:05pm

Jump City, California

Old HIVE Academy

Raven heard Cyborg ranting and shooting things long before she actually saw him. She kept her flashlight on as she walked down the long hallway, trying to figure out what to do.

Titans Tower didn't have much power left and she knew that she didn't have enough time to lug him back, especially if she decided to knock him out if his hallucinations were too overwhelming. She was sort of glad that Robin asked Adeline to go after Beast Boy, but at the same time Raven would have preferred to go after him. Sometimes she could sense the animalistic rage hidden deep within Beast Boy, a rage that may be triggered by the dust.

She dropped her flashlight to the ground as another one of her hallucinations overcame her. Raven leaned against a wall, breathing heavily as she tried to will away the images.

 _"RAVEN!" Robin shouted, his head reaching out towards her._

 _Her other friends were shouting her name as well. In the chaos crowds of people enveloped the Teen Titans, clawing at them and screaming for help. A loud noise that sounded like a train coming close pounded her eardrums as the ground beneath her shook. The street jerked up in rolling waves as earthquakes destroyed the city. Flames hopped from one building to the next, trapping them all in a fiery inferno._

 _In their desperation the citizens of Jump City clung to their heroes, the Teen Titans, in a last attempt to save themselves from Trigon's wrath. Raven stood on top of a building and looked down on this madness. There was nothing she could do to stop any of this from happening._

 _"Please…father…" she pleaded, turning her head towards the demon. "At least spare the lives of my friends…"_

 _"It's too late for that," Trigon replied._

 _He waved his hand. A dark wave of energy passed over the city. Those who were caught under the wave immediately turned to stone. Before Raven had time to cry out in alarm the wave of energy passed over her friends. Raven knew that his power would envelop the entire planet. As if to make matters worse, Raven knew that she would not be turned to stone along with her friends. She was sired to bring Trigon into the world. She was sired to be her father's servant._

"NO!" Raven shouted. "I'M NOT LIKE YOU!"

Why were these hallucinations badgering her like this? How long could she keep them at bay? Fighting back the hallucinations were beginning to make her sick. She remembered the night that Robin was infected with the dust. Now she could understand why it drove him crazy.

She forced herself out of her hallucinations.

"Cyborg!" she called out.

Her voice echoed in the long hallway. It didn't help that Raven had only been here once before when they came to rescue Cyborg from the Academy. Once or twice she thought she heard Cyborg's frantic voice calling out, but when she tried to listen she heard nothing.

So instead of listening she ran faster through the empty hallways. Why did Robin have to split them up?

"Raven!" Cyborg exclaimed, running towards her.

She gasped as she took into account his miserable condition. His infrared eye—normally glowing bright red—was out. Of course, the Sladebot that attacked him must have shot that out right away. To her surprise Cyborg came right up to her and grabbed her by the upper arms.

"You have to get out of here," he said, shaking her. "Brother Blood—he's the one who triggered the dust!"

Raven became overwhelmed by a flurry of emotions. She sensed his furious desire to beat Brother Blood to a pulp. At the same time she saw several snapshots of his hallucinations as he neared her.

She felt his fear of retribution from Brother Blood over the destruction of the old HIVE Academy. She felt his overwhelming fear for the lives of those close around him. The Titans. His father. The children he played Little League with sometimes. Raven could also sense the logic behind his thinking. Brother Blood wasn't dead. Cyborg considered the HIVE headmaster his arch-enemy.

"It's a hallucination!" Raven shouted, stepping in front of Cyborg. _"You've been infected with the dust!"_

How could she make him understand? His face twisted in confusion. Raven felt a little wary about confronting Cyborg. With her own powers a little unstable due to the effects of the dust Raven wasn't sure if she could handle an enraged Cyborg by herself.

"The dust? The same dust that drove Robin crazy?"

Raven placed a hand on Cyborg's massive arm. "Yes, the exact same."

"But Brother Blood isn't dead!" Cyborg exclaimed. "He's the one who triggered the dust!"

"You're hallucinating, Cyborg!"

 _So am I,_ she thought.

The room burst into flame as her visions attacked her again. Why couldn't she just will this away? Why did these visions come back to her? The roaring of the flames and of the building burning down around her filled her ears, but she ignored it as best as she could.

"I don't want to have to knock you out!" Raven said. _"CYBORG!"_

The cybernetic teen began to punch and jab at the air. His metal fists made holes in the walls as he fought his hallucination of Brother Blood.

In a last act of desperation, Raven grabbed Cyborg's head. She closed her eyes and muttered an incantation. All the information she learned in the past few hours zoomed through Cyborg's head in several bright flashes. She didn't have time to explain everything to Cyborg.

This was worse than she thought.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach Raven knew that she wouldn't be able to convince Cyborg that he was hallucinating. This was just like the first time Robin was infected. It also didn't help that Cyborg was half-blind. From the looks of things, Raven figured that the Sladebots that kidnapped Cyborg also messed with his internal system.

Raven closed her eyes. Her soul-self rose into the air and flowed into Cyborg. This was something she didn't like to do often, especially to her friends, but she could knock people out when she wanted to with her soul-self.

She opened her eyes as Cyborg crumpled to the floor, unconscious. Hopefully he would be able to realize that he was hallucinating once he woke up. Raven used her powers to pick him up. Whatever plan Robin had on main street, it better freaking work.

 **-JW-**

11:17pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

Jericho ran.

The most important thing was to get the timing right. After speaking with Robin—who was, oddly enough, dressed in a uniform that looked suspiciously like his father's—he knew that he had a limited amount of time to track the man down.

"Jericho," Robin called out. "He's over there! I'm sending you his coordinates in your communicator."

Jericho took out his communicator—one of those nifty yellow Titan communicators—and checked the coordinates. He nodded to Robin and raced towards his destination. Once he did this it would be a lot easier for everyone to see, but his main concern was making sure that the Titans were cured of their hallucinations.

For the rest of Jump City, the thing that mattered the most was getting all of the criminals rounded up. Even though Jericho wasn't a true hero he knew that the Titans would want to put the safety of the civilians before their own. Thankfully, the JLA's interference was helping them a great deal. The JCPD picked up the petty criminals who didn't have powers. As far as Jericho knew, Superman went off to fight Cinderblock while Wonder Woman and Green Arrow went off to fight Plasmus.

Jericho landed in front of the villain. At first Dr. Light cowered before he realized that it wasn't a Teen Titan in front of him.

"Who are you?" Dr. Light demanded.

Like always, Jericho could not answer. But even if he could Jericho knew that he wouldn't waste his breath formulating a reply. A snarl twisted Dr. Light's lips as he lifted up his light ray, intending to incinerate Jericho.

"Afraid of a little light, kid?"

Jericho couldn't help but smile at these words. A little light was just the thing he needed. Jericho knocked the gun out of Dr. Light's hands and punched the criminal in the face. Dr. Light's head snapped back as Jericho bounced a little on the balls of his feet. He had never really punched anyone in the face before. Thanks to both his mother and father's training in the military Joey was taught how to fight. That didn't mean that he liked fighting. Not the way Grant liked it.

Kicking away the light gun, Jericho knelt down and pinned Dr. Light to the ground. Jericho thought he remembered a time when Dr. Light used to be a formidable bad guy. A few years ago he cracked—from what Jericho didn't know—and became a silly villain the Titans could easily deal with. He gazed straight into Dr. Light's eyes.

 _Contact!_

Jericho's form faded as he went into Dr. Light, completely possessing him. This was always a rather odd power of his that he never fully understood. He assumed control of Dr. Light's muscles and made him walk away.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?" Dr. Light shouted. "Get out of me!"

A pity that Jericho couldn't speak while his victims were conscious. Of course, he had learned to live with his disability.

Out of the corner of his eye Jericho saw Robin swing down to a rooftop near him. The boy wonder rolled to break his fall and came back swiftly to his feet. Jericho didn't go to the city much; he preferred living outside of the city where it was much quieter. So Robin was here giving him directions.

"Jericho!" Robin shouted, pointing towards the crowd down below. "Over there!"

Jericho forced Dr. Light to nod in understanding. If the man was strong-willed there was a good chance that he could knock Jericho out of his body. He didn't want that. He needed to use Dr. Light to help the Titans help themselves.

Jericho made Dr. Light leap on top the rooftop of the radio tower, one of the highest buildings in the city. Down below he saw a small crowd gathering below him. As Jericho clenched Dr. Light's fists around a steel power he felt a moment of doubt. What if this didn't work? What if he should have picked another villain to use? No, if he had gone after Overload the villain would have fried him. If this didn't work, then nothing else would.

He raised Dr. Light's arms and filled his hands with a growing ball of light. He forced Dr. Light to close his eyes as the ball of light grew brighter until the streets shone as if it were midday. The people watching from down below cowered in the sudden light. He knew that the Teen Titans and his mother were down on the street. They were also cowering in the light, but they also saw the truth.

 **-BB-**

11:20pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

Beast Boy and Adeline raced towards main street. He ran with a slight limp, courtesy of the injuries sustained by the dust. He tried not to think about the fact that he hurt himself this badly.

"Climb onto my back," Beast Boy said, "it'll be faster."

He transformed into a horse. The older woman leapt onto his back and they sped towards main street. Beast Boy wondered how in God's name Adeline Kane got involved in this mess. All he knew about her was what Robin told him a couple nights ago. Why should she be helping them?

"Raven!" he exclaimed, transforming back into a human. "What's happening?"

Fear filled him. Cyborg lay unconscious on the ground while Raven stood beside him, her face twisted in anguish. At the sound of her name the empath lifted her head. Beast Boy's heart pounded against his ribcage. There were only three Titans here. Where were Robin and Starfire?

"I don't know!" Raven exclaimed.

"Why is Cyborg knocked out?"

"I had to knock him out! His hallucinations were getting bad!"

Civilians were still running around. Beast Boy felt so utterly confused. Just how much time had passed since they fought Overload at the Jump City Power Plant? Although Adeline Kane was helping them out, it still made Beast Boy nervous to see Robin and Starfire gone.

Cyborg stirred as he came back to consciousness. Beast Boy knelt down to assist his friend. His heart sank as he saw that Cyborg's infrared eye was broken. His long ears pricked up as he heard someone flying towards them. Everyone looked up as Starfire touched down in front of them.

"Where's Robin?" Raven demanded.

"He is assisting Jericho," Starfire replied. "I do not know what they are planning."

The sky filled with light.

It was, perhaps, the most glorious thing he had ever seen. Light sparked from the radio tower, raced along the telephone poles as the city came back to life. Traffic lights began to flash red, green and yellow as the streetlamps turned back on. All the illusions still following him vanished as the light washed them out.

Beast Boy realized what had happened: everyone got infected with the dust.

He found himself clutching Raven's hand tightly, as though afraid to let her go. To his surprise Raven didn't say anything mean or make a move to push him away. In fact, she was clutching his hand just as tightly as he was clutching hers. In that moment it seemed as though she forgot her usual demeaning attitude as she shared this fearful moment with the others.

Everyone hung their heads a little as they individually thought about their separate hallucinations. Beast Boy wondered what the others saw. Did the mask make everyone see Slade, or did everyone see other people? Other enemies who haunted their pasts?

"The dust…" he murmured.

"I know," Raven said. "We've all been infected."

That would explain everything.

Together all four Titans stood in the middle of the street, bathing in the light as they held each other's hands tightly. Sirens wailed in the distance as a swarm of JCPD cops circled around them, asking them questions about what happened. The questions went over his head as he tried to fully grasp what had happened to them. But despite this, Beast Boy felt safe standing here with friends.

 **-R-**

11:36pm

Jump City, California

Main Street

Robin stood a ways away from the crowd surrounding the other Titans. For once he felt like an outcast, since he didn't have his mask on. Now that he wasn't moving any more he began to shiver in the cold. He watched the nurses drape blankets over the shoulders of the shocked Titans.

"Are you okay, Grayson?"

He started at the sound of his name. Turning, he saw Adeline striding towards him. Like always, he felt a little paranoid whenever anyone knew his secret identity. He had Slade to thank for that.

"I don't know," he replied in a low voice. "You recognize me?"

"Unfortunately, I do. I lived in Gotham for a little while."

Robin's face fell slightly. How many other people knew? Bruce always warned him never to reveal his secret identity to anyone. Honestly, though, he felt as if he was betraying Bruce when he realized that Slade knew who he was. Every time someone figured out his secret identity he felt as if he was betraying Bruce. This time, though, he could have kept the bloody mask on his face.

"Thanks, Ms. Kane," he said. "For everything."

Even though she didn't have to help, Adeline did. Here, at least, was someone he could trust. It seemed as though it was hard to find people to trust these days. Of course, that could be his paranoia calling out to him.

"Your secret's safe with me," she said. "I'm not like my husband."

He nodded, not sure what to say. His eyes glanced towards the Titans. All he wanted to do now was be with his friends.

"I have to go," he said.

Robin turned to walk back to his friends. Even though he wasn't dressed as Robin the Boy Wonder he was still the leader of the Teen Titans. He had a responsibility to go to them.

"And…Grayson…Dick…"

He turned around again to look at her. She seemed unsure as to what to call him. Her face twitched into a small smile.

"You're so much better than he ever was."

Jericho joined his mother. They stood together, side-by-side, and smiled reassuringly. Adeline reminded Robin so much of his mother, whom he still missed dearly. All he had left were his friends—no living relative to speak of. As he gazed at Adeline and Jericho Robin found that he had nothing to say. Those encouraging words warmed him. He nodded curtly.

Ignoring the cop cars and sirens all around him, Robin ducked underneath the caution tape and headed towards the ambulance. He probably should be in the hospital now, but Robin didn't know whether he should go as Dick Grayson or as Robin the Boy Wonder.

He walked right up to the Titans without his mask on his face.

Starfire and Raven turned to him, although Cyborg and Beast Boy obviously didn't know who he was. They continued to speak to each other, ignoring him until he spoke did they turn to look at him.

"Hi guys."

At first the boys looked confused. Then, slowly, it dawned on them. The two boys stared at him with wide eyes, as though they couldn't believe that an unmasked boy wonder stood in front of them. Before any of them said anything Robin raised a hand.

"Please don't say anything right now. I'm sort of undercover."

It was a conscious choice for him to walk out like this. Back when he was battling his own mind he took off his mask to face the Slade hallucination. He realized that the problem wasn't between Robin and Slade—it was between Slade Wilson and Dick Grayson. Back during the days of the apprenticeship Slade made sure that he broke down that unspeakable barrier between civilian and hero.

"Whoa," Beast Boy said.

Smiling ruefully, Robin held out his hands and shrugged. He didn't know what the big deal was about his secret identity. He never considered himself extraordinary. Dick Grayson didn't have any powers to boast of. He was just an acrobat with a strong moral code. A circus performer who just happened to be trained by the greatest detective in the world.

"Your uniform…" Starfire said. "Why have you not changed it?"

Robin looked down at his uniform. After realizing that it wasn't so creepy after all he could have changed back into his old uniform, which was hiding underneath.

"I'll change when I get back to the Tower," he replied. "Right now I just…"

He looked down at his shoes. How could he possibly explain to all of them that—yet again—it was his fault that these bad things happened? Why was it that Slade turned everything he ever learned against him?

"Who was behind it?" Cyborg asked. "The dust?"

Robin found that he could not speak. Why did he have such a hard time admitting these things? Even Starfire didn't know the whole story yet. His blue eyes found Raven's violet ones. An unspoken agreement passed between them. This wasn't the right time to explain who was behind the dust.

Raven placed a hand on Cyborg's shoulder. "He'll explain later."

He could almost hear their questions swirling in the back of the others' minds. Robin knew for sure that Beast Boy was probably exerting all of his self-control to _not_ ask Robin his real name. Well, Robin expected them to ask. Would he answer if they asked?

Perhaps.

"Please…" he said. "I'll meet you all back at the Tower. I don't want to be seen long like this."

He wanted to avoid an awkward conversation with them. Even though he tried to tell himself that he was cool with them knowing his secret identity, it still bothered him. At least he felt better about himself now that they knew his face. They nodded.

"Ahem."

Robin turned and found several members of the Justice League looking back at him. Superman shot Robin a quizzical glance, but didn't say anything about his strange appearance. Flash and Zatanna stood behind him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Beast Boy begin to squeal with fanboyish delight.

"Is everyone all right?" Superman asked.

"We're all right," Raven said, "maybe a little worse for wear, but we'll live."

"Good."

Was it just Robin, or did Clark look a little tired himself? At a nod the emergency response workers dispersed. Robin simply stood still and allowed the others to speak. He wasn't sure if he should speak.

"Thanks for helping," Raven said, "we're sorry to trouble you."

"You kids did well," Clark replied, "we did nothing but round up the criminals. You solved everything by yourselves."

"I don't know if you can say that—" Robin began.

"You did," Superman said firmly. "All of you managed to fight off the dust."

 _"Superman,"_ Beast Boy breathed, beginning to do a little jig. "I can't believe it's…wow…"

The legendary superhero gazed down quizzically at the changeling. The other heroes began to laugh at the look on Superman's face. Surely, he had encountered crazy fans before? Robin knew that he certainly encountered his own breed of frothing fangirls. Robin found himself laughing along with them. The emergency response workers shot them curious glances as their laughter grew louder.

"Take care," Superman said, "we'll be in town until tomorrow morning."

The other JLA members nodded. Superman's blue eyes rested on Robin for a moment before he turned to leave with the other heroes. It was as if they had a conversation without words. Robin knew that Superman wanted to talk to him either tonight or tomorrow morning.

"I want a picture, Supes!" Beast Boy called out.

"How about later, BB?" Robin said, smiling. "We can always call him."

"Really?" Beast Boy's eyes widened in growing excitement. "I wanted to ask you: do you know Supes well?"

"Well," Robin replied, "we're sort of family. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to have dinner with us sometime."

It was true. As he watched Superman and the other JLA members ascend into the air he knew that Superman would be more than happy to talk to the Titans. Weariness overcame him as he thought of the things they still had yet to do. Even though he wanted to go to bed there was always clean-up that had to be done after events like this.

Truthfully, he couldn't wait until sunrise.

 **-BW-**

12:51am

Gotham City, California

Bat Cave

Silence crept between the three men. Ray looked a little uncomfortable, but didn't offer anything to say. Bruce could feel the tension brewing between himself and Alfred. Truthfully, he felt a little hurt that Alfred would hide something like this from him.

"Alfred…why did you hide the video from me?"

Alfred sighed in resignation.

"Believe me, Master Bruce, it wasn't an easy choice for me to make." Alfred glanced to the side before making eye contact with Bruce. "It arrived while you were at work. It distressed me and I knew that it would distress you."

"So you hid it from me?" Bruce demanded.

"Do you believe that I didn't want Dick to be rescued? That I didn't want you or the Justice League to go and help him?"

Of course…Alfred raised him as much as Bruce did. Alfred was always there for him back when Bruce didn't tell Dick that he was Batman. In some ways Alfred was more of a father to Dick than Bruce was at times. He knew that Dick spoke to the butler regularly. When Bruce didn't speak Alfred continued to explain.

"I care about him as much as you do. But you had to take care of the Joker. Gotham needed you. Have a little more faith in him and his friends."

Was this all a matter of trust? Did he trust Dick to make his own decisions? Wasn't that the reason he allowed Dick to move to Jump City in the first place? So Dick could prove that he was a competent hero?

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to accuse you of anything."

"No offense taken. At first I thought that I made the wrong decision…would Dick be strong enough to escape? Would he be able to? And if we tried to help him, would it have all ended in disaster?" Alfred smiled a little. "But you underestimated him, Master Bruce. He did it. He got out of it. And that's all that matters to me now."

He looked at Alfred steadily. It didn't really matter now…but why had Alfred chosen this time to allow Bruce to find the video? Was he trying to make a point? But at the same time, Alfred was right: even though it seemed as if all the odds were against him, Dick managed to win. And he managed to defeat a villain known to cause the adult JLA members trouble.

His JLA communicator buzzed.

"Bruce," Clark said through the JLA communicator, "the Titans are fine. Everyone is okay."

He heard Alfred breathe a sigh of relief. When Bruce turned around he saw that Ray looked relieved as well. That was probably the best news he heard all night.

"How did you help?" Bruce asked.

"Oh, we didn't do much," Clark replied, "the Titans managed to do everything by themselves."

"What?"

"Bruce, you have to trust the kids a little more. And people other than yourself for that matter."

Bruce just didn't like the fact that everything was spiraling out of control and that he couldn't help. He disliked feeling so useless. He knew that if he tried to go to Jump City the other heroes would have physically stopped him from going.

"Did you talk to Dick?"

"Yeah. He said that knows who triggered the dust."

"Who was it?"

"He triggered the dust."

Bruce stayed silent for a moment, digesting this new information. Dick triggered the dust? How? He thought back to the conversation he had with him yesterday morning. It boggled his mind that this whole nefarious plot was circular.

"What?"

"He spoke to us afterwards. Please don't call Titans Tower now. They're searching for the source of the signal and then going to bed. I'm going to talk to Robin privately in the morning."

How did Dick manage to trigger the dust? If Batman had gotten involved sooner, then perhaps he wouldn't be left in the dark. For a moment Bruce thought about going against Clark's orders to not call Titans Tower, but then he realized that Clark had a point.

"Thanks for telling me, Clark."

"Get some rest, Bruce."

Bruce logged off. He rubbed the back of his neck and stretched. How could he sleep now knowing that Robin accidentally triggered the dust? Now he wanted to speak to Dick himself. Sensing this compulsion, Alfred placed a hand on Bruce's wrist.

"Stop worrying, Master Bruce. He's fine. You can speak to him tomorrow."

"Hey guys," Ray said, "The machine's picking up something on the nanoscopic level."

Both men turned to Atom, who was examining the analysis machine. He wasn't sure if he liked Ray's tone of voice.

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

"I'm not sure."

Ray moved over as Bruce came to take a closer look. His brow furrowed as he looked at the dust sample.

"There are probes embedded within the dust," Bruce said, preparing a sample to slide underneath a microscope. "Similar to the probes Deathstroke injected into the Titans."

This disturbed him. But as he looked closer Bruce realized that these probes—which were much smaller and sleeker than the other probes—were the cause of the physical pain. That's how the bruises formed. But why did this matter? Deathstroke was dead, and unless he had another sneaky strategy planned then no one had to worry about the mercenary ever again.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I suggest that you let this matter go until morning. Please go get some rest."

Rest? Bruce glanced at the clock on the computer screen. It was nearly one in the morning. Had so much time passed already? The night was still young, there was still so much good he could do. But it wouldn't be the right thing to do now.

Reluctantly, Bruce pulled off the cowl and gazed at it. Alfred was right. He spent his days and nights as Batman much too often. Deathstroke must have known this. Atom pulled off his own cowl and smiled.

"I better be getting back to Ivy Town," he said. "Jean's waiting for me."

"Good night, Dr. Palmer," Alfred said.

Ray nodded before he shrank into microscopic size and disappeared into the telephone lines. Suddenly Bruce was aware of his own weariness. He was aware that he left his case with Clayface and Black Mask's drug ring wide open, but he didn't care. Batman could afford to take a day off. Bruce Wayne had already canceled all previous engagements so that he could fly out to Jump City.

He went off to bed.

* * *

 **A/N:**

I am one of those frothing squealing fangirls. You're not alone, Beast Boy.

Bruce's revelation about the dust is actually inspired by a comment made super early on in this story by Blues32 about how on earth the dust caused so much physical damage to the characters. Again, I'll probably come back and edit this chapter.

Oh, and BTW, I'll try to post the last chapter and the epilogue together. That's what I did with "Entrapment" and I feel as though you'll want to read both chapters in one sitting. Onward to NaNoWriMo!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

REVIEW!


	31. Sunrise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Oh poop, I don't own Teen Titans or DC comics.

**Disclaimer:** Oh poop, I don't own Teen Titans or DC comics.

 **A/N:** You guys, I'm really sad that this is the last chapter before the epilogue. I've worked on this for so long…it's really become a part of me. Can any of you say "epic"? Really, this story is getting to be _so long._

Oh, and Halloween was fantastic! My friends and I didn't plan our costumes together, but half of our group ended up being characters from the DC universe. The peeps: Green Lantern (me), Poison Ivy, Batman, Catwoman and we found someone dressed as Robin so we took a picture together. One professor exclaimed: "wow, the whole Justice League is here!"

LOLZ.

In other news:

Dear Lord in Heaven how am I at 7,300 words for my NaNoWriMo novel? I WROTE IN CLASS THAT'S WHY. I COULD NOT HEAR THE LECTURE OVER THE AWESOME SOUND OF MY KEYBOARD SMASHING.

Thank you, Kingofrandom, for pointing out my mistake with Atom. For some reason, even though I know it's not true, I always call Dr. Palmer "Captain Atom" even though that's not really his name. Apologies. It is fixed now. I have too many characters to keep track of, so sometimes I slip. SERIOUSLY, POINT OUT MISTAKES/INCONSISTENCIES. I WILL FIX THEM.

* * *

"You're not alone, together we stand.

I'll be by your side you know I'll take your hand.

When it gets cold and it feels like the end

There's no place to go you know I won't give in.

No, I won't give in."

-Avril Lavigne, "Keep Holding On"

* * *

Chapter 30: Sunrise

 **-S-**

6:08am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

All five of the Titans stood on top of Titans Tower. Although she felt dreadfully tired and knew that she should go to bed she just wanted to watch the sunrise. They faced Jump City, towards the east where the sun was rising. A few stars still lingered on the pink horizon.

After encountering the Justice League the Titans wanted nothing more than to collapse onto their beds, but there was one more thing they needed to do. Within the hour—after making sure that the dust was completely gone from their systems—Cyborg tracked down the signal using Slade's mask. They followed the signal to an empty warehouse where, indeed, they found an automated trigger.

Only then did Robin dare to explain the events.

They slept for a few hours, but none of them could sleep long. Even though all of the action was over, Starfire knew that there were things they still needed to do. Things that still needed to be said and explained. Hesitantly, Robin explained. And the rest of the Titans listened in silence.

"So…Slade was behind all of this," Cyborg said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah…" Robin replied softly. "This time it really was my fault."

"No, it wasn't," Raven said, "you have to stop beating yourself up for these things, Robin."

"Slade knew exactly how I would act. I'm the reason we're been so screwed over."

He looked to the side of the building and wrapped his arms around his chest, as though he was trying to hug himself. He had changed out of that horrid uniform and back into his normal colors, but he still looked weary.

"It's not your fault," Cyborg said, "it's Slade's fault. You did nothing wrong."

"Yeah…stop beating yourself up," Beast Boy said.

Why did he still blame himself for these things? Starfire still did not understand. Why could he not just accept the fact that sometimes things just happened? There would always be circumstances one could never control.

"And Batman…" he said, hanging his head a little. "He was targeted too."

The Batman. She did not even realize that the Justice League was involved until Flash and Zatanna appeared in front of them. Robin furrowed his brow as he thought of his mentor.

"But everything's okay," Beast Boy said. "Batman didn't go crazy, right?"

Robin said nothing. Even though Superman came none of the other JLA members explained what happened in Gotham. All that the Titans knew was that Batman was also infected with the dust and that, technically, this all really was Robin's fault.

Like the others, Starfire knew that putting the blame on Robin wasn't the right thing to do. Not now. It didn't matter if this was his fault or not. The day was saved. No lasting harm was done to anyone.

"I think you should go back to bed," Raven said.

He nodded vaguely, somewhat listening to his friend.

"There's just one thing I want to do," Robin said.

He held Slade's cracked mask in his hand. Robin walked to the edge of the rooftop. He brought his arm back and flung Slade's mask over the side of the Tower. It glinted in the morning sun as it flew through the air, spinning as it flew in a parabolic curve downwards.

A few seconds later Starfire heard it hit the water. She watched him stand on the edge, looking down at the water as though he regretted doing this. But Starfire knew that he had done the right thing. Relief spread across his face.

"I think we should take the day off," Robin said, turning towards them. A wide smile spread across his face. "Maybe we'll hit the beach this afternoon or something."

"Sounds good," Cyborg said, yawning. "I'm off to bed."

The others disbanded and went back inside of the Tower. Starfire and Robin stayed behind on the rooftop. She wanted to say something to him, but couldn't find the right words. He simply stood on the edge of the Tower, looking out over the ocean.

"Robin…" she said.

"What?"

"You are smiling."

He laughed quietly under his breath. "So I am."

"There is one thing that I wish to ask of you." She was unsure how to word her question. "That video message that Slade left for you in the main computer…I want to know…know what you said to him to make him so angry."

He looked at her thoughtfully. Starfire knew that she should not be asking this question so soon after the events of the night before, but the question had been burning inside of her all week. Like Robin, she just wanted to understand.

"It started as a training session," he said. "Normal as things could be with Slade. I know he made it look like he beat me all of the time, but the truth was that he didn't. If I said the wrong thing or refused to follow an order then he would beat me."

Starfire watched him fidget a little.

"He asked me a question. I suppose that he knew the conversation would end badly, but he wanted to make a point."

"What did he ask you?"

"He asked me if…he asked me why I didn't just let you guys die to save myself." Robin's voice shook a little. "We got into an argument. We were always arguing, you know. Even over stupid things. Like usual, the argument ended in a fistfight."

"And…then?"

"I said that I would never let that happen, not even to save myself. He wanted to test that theory. Slade goaded me until I fought back. That day he beat me so badly…he wanted to see how much pain it would take me to ask him to stop…he wanted to see if I would snap from the pressure. If I would ask for him to kill you so that the pain would stop."

Starfire opened her mouth to ask him what happened after that, but she noticed the pained expression on his face. No more questions were needed. Obviously, Robin did not snap. He leaned back on his hands and sighed.

"Oh, we're similar," Robin said, "but at the same time we're very different. He would never use himself as a human shield. Maybe at one point in his life…back when he had a family, but Slade is too focused. Too determined. I was never always so determined. And I think that, deep down, I'm still the same little acrobat flying on the trapezes."

They spent a moment together on the rooftop and hugged. He leaned in close to her face, touching their foreheads together as they closed their eyes. For a minute they simply stood there and enjoyed each other's company. She remembered their heartfelt confrontation last night when he shook her out of her trance. Just being with him now was the best thing in the world.

But, as usual, there were things that needed to get done. She knew that Robin would want to speak with the Batman even though he never mentioned the man's name. The boy wonder placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"I'm glad you're safe."

Robin kissed her on the cheek before going back into the Tower. As he walked away Starfire smiled a little as her cheeks turned a bright pink color. She giggled a little.

A new day indeed.

 **-AK-**

6:03am

Jump City, California

Kane Residence

"You did well, Joey," Adeline said.

 _"Thanks, mom,"_ he replied.

Possessing Dr. Light was a clever thing to do. Adeline didn't think that she would have thought of that herself, if given the chance to do anything. Sometimes she forgot that her son had such strange powers.

 _"Will they trust us now?"_ Jericho asked.

"I believe so."

So…Slade had been behind this the whole time. That didn't surprise her.

While she was glad that Slade was dead Adeline felt a little put down that she didn't get to kill the man herself.

She took out another cigarette and lit it. Perhaps she should go to bed after running around Jump City all night. Although she felt tired she didn't feel like going to bed. Joey apparently felt the same way.

 _"I still don't understand why dad wanted to go after Robin,"_ Jericho said. _"Is it because of Grant?"_

Looking down at her son, who looked so much like his father, Adeline felt pride swell within her breast. She was glad that Jericho chose the hero path instead of the mercenary path that his father and older brother decided to take. Here, at least, was someone in her broken family whom she could be proud of.

"I wish I had the answers to those questions," Adeline replied. "But since your father's dead we'll just have to make do with the answers we have."

Adeline picked up a frame holding a picture of her entire family. A handsome Slade Wilson still stood in the background with a comforting hand on Adeline's shoulder. She didn't rip Slade out of the picture. That was a childish thing to do. And despite the fact that she hated Slade she had to admit that…in his rather odd way…he was a good father to Grant. Grant loved him. He loved him so much that he followed in his father's footsteps.

"Perhaps it is time for you to take a little…vacation," Adeline said. "Robin knows who you are. If he needs your help, he'll call you."

As Joey went upstairs to go to bed Adeline took out another cigarette. The most poignant thing on her mind was Robin. She had to admit that she admired the boy's courage. Although she didn't tell Robin, she had tracked down Slade's location after she realized that Slade held the boy captive. She knew just how badly Slade beat the boy. How badly he demoralized the boy. But even after all of that Robin put his life on the line to save his friends.

He had survived.

"And good luck to you too, boy wonder," she said softly. "Mr. Grayson."

 **-R-**

6:46am

Jump City, California

The city was recovering well.

People were already sweeping up the broken glass from the streets. Robin walked down the street without his costume on. The JLA wanted to talk to him before they headed back east. Superman had surreptitiously changed back into Clark Kent during the chaos, but no one gave him a second glance. Behind him was a redhaired man. Barry Allen.

Robin found himself slouching towards the two men. He felt a plethora of emotions rushing through him. All at once he wanted to sleep, talk to people, and perhaps take some mediation to dull the pounding pain in his head.

"Are you okay?" Clark asked.

"Yeah…" Robin replied. "Just a little tired."

Clark caught Robin's chin and turned his face to look at the bruises. "Get those looked at, won't you?"

"I will."

Robin's eyes glanced towards the ground. The bruises didn't worry him. He had been through worse before. "And…how's Bruce?"

Robin asked this almost timidly. He hadn't yet checked in with Gotham to see how Bruce was doing. He meant to call Alfred sometime soon, but was a little afraid to talk to Bruce. Even after everything they had gone through he preferred to talk to Bruce via Alfred or Clark.

"Bruce is fine," Clark replied. "Had a little trouble with Kryptonite, but everything's fine now. He understands what happened."

Robin heard through the grapevine about Bruce and Clark's confrontation. Even though he knew that it was all Slade's fault he still couldn't help but blame himself. His friends continually told him that he was wrong, that he should blaming himself for these things, and he knew that they were right. But how could he break out of the habit?

"I'm sorry for everything!" Robin burst out.

Clark bent down a little so that he was face-to-face with him. He placed his large hands on Dick's shoulders and squeezed them comfortingly. When he spoke it was not the tone one spoke to a small child. Clark spoke softly in a reassuring voice.

"This was not your fault. When Slade masterminded this plot he wanted you to think that it was your fault. It's not, okay?"

Fears of Slade still lingered within Robin. He knew that he might not be able to stop the nightmares from occurring, but he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Even though it took a lot of courage to even talk about these things, Robin knew that he had to talk about his fears to someone. He breathed deeply and looked to the side.

"Bruce will think it is."

He felt his heart sink at this. Because of him Bruce was targeted. Why wouldn't Bruce think this was all his fault? Clark and Barry shook their heads.

"We'll deal with Bruce," Clark said. "And have a little more faith in him, Dick. He's a good man. Sometimes he just doesn't like to show it."

Robin felt his eyes widen at this. Of course he knew that Bruce was a good man. Whoever said that he wasn't? Sure, Bruce could act like a butthead, but had Robin forgotten that Bruce was a good man? Clark smiled reassuringly.

"Don't be afraid to ask for help…because know we will do the same if we ever need it."

Clark handed him a JLA communicator. Robin clutched it tightly in his fist, feeling the weight of it in his hand. Did Clark just acknowledge the Titans as equals?

"Thanks," he said, "if there's trouble you know who to call."

Robin wrapped his arms around Clark and gave him a hug. Clark Kent was one man he knew he would never be afraid of. He was part of the family he created for himself, a man who honestly cared for well-being. A man who would never force him to do anything he didn't want to do. One of the people he could turn to in his time of need.

Barry ruffled Robin's hair affectionately.

"Get some rest, kiddo."

Clark glanced at his watch.

"Oh jeez, I need to get back to Metropolis," he said. "I need to catch up on a lot of work. Perry's already chewing me out for yesterday's unfinished article."

"Yeah, I don't know how I'm going to be able to work after all of this excitement," Barry said. "It'll just make everything else look real dull."

In the end, everyone had to duck back into the normal hum-drum of everyday lives. Robin knew that one day he would have to give up being Robin. One day he would go to college and—perhaps—pass on the mantle of Robin to a younger kid. Maybe he would become Nightwing, just like his future self in Star's vision. Robin really did like the ring of the name.

"I'll be seeing you around," Clark said, beginning to back away. "Perhaps you should visit Metropolis sometime!"

"Or Central City," Barry said. He glanced at his watch again. "Oh I better get going. I'll be five minutes late to work again."

Robin found himself laughing again. It always amazed him how Barry and Wally were always the last ones to arrive at any sort of function.

Flash moved at the speed of light back to Central City. Clark moved away and launched himself into the air. As Superman flew away Robin watched him go, silently wishing that he could fly. He then spoke softly, knowing full well that he didn't have to shout for Clark to hear.

"If we ever need help," he said, "then I'll look up in the sky."

 **-BW-**

6:12am

Gotham City

Wayne Manor

Bruce stood outside of Wayne Manor with a cup of coffee in his hand, dressed in a maroon bath robe. He watched the sun peek over the horizon. Mist hung low on the horizon and dew clung to the plants and tree leaves. He heard Alfred open the door and walk up beside him.

"You missed your flight, sir," Alfred said.

"I know."

He stared at the cup in his hand. Bruce still couldn't believe that he allowed himself to fall so low. It was an embarrassment to have the world's greatest detective not realize that he himself was infected with the dust. Well, it wasn't as if he was expecting an attack from a jewel thief.

It was clever.

"Have the Titans located the person who triggered the dust?" Bruce asked.

"Dick sent out a message to me a few minutes ago. The Titans tracked down the source of the signal this morning. It was an automated trigger."

"So Deathstroke was behind this." Bruce looked back up towards the sunrise. "And he chose to target me because I'm close to Dick."

The nerve of that man-Bruce shook his head. It didn't matter anymore. This business was done. Deathstroke was dead.

Now that the dust was clear from his mind, Bruce truly thought about this. Despite all of the arguments and bitterness passed between them, Dick still thought of Bruce as his father. The kid did everything he could do to protect himself and Bruce, even when all hope seemed to be lost.

"What I said to him yesterday…it was stupid…I shouldn't have…" Bruce trailed off. "No wonder he's angry at me."

"Sir, to be perfectly frank you were infected with the dust. It made you irrational."

"I let it get to my head."

Bruce stared at the ground. As soon as everything was sorted out in Gotham City and Jump Superman came back to tell the rest of the League what happened. Batman wasn't too far off when he predicted that this was a pre-eminent attack on the Justice League.

Deathstroke's dust was meant to drive him insane until the point when he overworked himself to death. If the Justice League hadn't intervened Bruce might not have realized that he was hallucinating until it was too late. If anything, this incident caused him to rethink his attitude about fighting crime.

He thought about the video message that Alfred hid from him. The old butler was right: if he had seen that taunting message he would have gone to Jump City without a second thought. Bruce thought back to those early years when he worked with Robin. He always had to save Robin, but now the kid tried to be less of a boy hostage and more of his own man.

As he thought about last night's events more and more he realized something: he was proud of the work Dick did to keep his city safe. He was proud of the way Dick stood up to Deathstoke, how he put his own life at risk to save that of four others. Even though all of his training caught Deathstroke's attention Bruce managed to train Dick enough to protect himself. It wasn't the physical training that mattered the most: it was the sense of justice he installed in him, a commitment to making the world a better place in spite of hardships.

"When is the next flight to Jump City?"

"In twenty minutes, Master Bruce," Alfred replied, smiling, "I was wondering when you would ask."

"Well then," Bruce said, downing the rest of his coffee in one gulp, "I guess that I should be packing."

"I'll call to make sure he knows you're coming."

The clouds were rolling into Gotham City. Bruce went back inside and headed towards his bedroom. He promised Dick that he would come to Jump City. Bruce wanted to keep that promise, even if it didn't mean beating up bad guys together. As he walked down the hallway he walked past Dick's room.

He heard Alfred shuffling downstairs as he walked towards the phone. Bruce opened Dick's bedroom door with one hand and peeked inside. Bruce looked at the poster of the Flying Graysons. Why didn't Dick bring this with him when he moved to Jump City? Bruce took it down gently off of the wall and rolled it up carefully.

He smiled.

* * *

 **A/N:** Concerning the RobStar scene: I know a bunch of you wanted a kiss…but I'm trying to stay in canon. They don't actually kiss until Trouble in Tokyo. As I was doing another read-through of previous chapters I realized that I kind of left Slade's first message in a kind of plot-hole. It isn't anything drastic, but since Starfire's little subplot is dealing with Robin's obsession with Slade I thought it would be appropriate to reveal what Robin said to Slade to make him angry in the first place. I just want to make sure that all plot lines will be tied up.

Onward, brave readers! The epilogue is posted as well, just as promised.


	32. Epilogue: Living

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** Alas, I do not own Teen Titans or DC Comics. Monocle smile!

**Disclaimer:** Alas, I do not own Teen Titans or DC Comics. Monocle smile!

 **A/N:** I'm so sad that this is the last chapter!

* * *

"Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."

-1 Corinthians 13:4-8

The New Oxford Annotated Bible

The New Revised Standard Version

* * *

Epilogue: Living

 **-BB-**

9:32am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

It took Beast Boy a lot of self-talking and self-encouragement to call the Doom Patrol. For a few minutes he simply sat at his desk, his fingers tapping the keyboard impatiently, before finally summoning the mental willpower to do it. The webcam flickered to life. Steve's face appeared on the other end.

"Hi Steve," Beast Boy said.

He should at least give Steve another chance. Although Steve could never replace his real father the man raised him like a son. He taught Beast Boy everything that he knew before he joined the Teen Titans.

Although he disagreed with Steve on many things, Beast Boy knew that it would tear his heart if the Doom Patrol was attacked. Yes, he sometimes he felt as though he wanted to punch Mento in the face, but they were his family. Both the Doom Patrol and the Teen Titans were his family.

"I heard from the JLA that you were infected with the dust that made Robin go psycho," Steve said. "What's the story behind that?"

"Does it matter?" Beast Boy asked. "I'm alive, aren't I?"

This wasn't why he wanted to call the Doom Patrol. He didn't want to go into much details about the events of last night, of how Robin ended up becoming the perpetrator himself. Like always, Steve would always have something to lecture about. Beast Boy didn't call for a lecture. This time he wouldn't let Steve take control of the conversation.

"I want…I was going to call you anyway," Steve said. "I wanted to know…if you were all right."

This time Beast Boy was surprised. For once Steve was actually asking him about how he felt? The snappy reply he had in mind died on his lips as he considered Steve's question. Back in the house of mirrors Slade threatened to kill the Doom Patrol. Only through mental willpower did Beast Boy manage to fight off the hallucination.

"I'm fine."

Both Beast Boy and Steve sat in silence, both afraid to say something. _Come on, Logan,_ Beast Boy thought, scrunching his hands into fists, _you can talk to Steve._

"Actually, I wanted to talk about last week," Beast Boy said. "I wanted to talk about Terra."

It was such a touchy subject. He saw Larry shake his head in the background. Steve opened his mouth to say something scathing, but at a glance from Rita he shut his mouth.

"Yes, Steve, I loved Terra," Beast Boy said, "and nothing could ever change that."

In the background Rita smiled. For some reason Beast Boy felt a great weight lifted off of his chest. Admitting this to the Doom Patrol—to Steve—was what he wanted to do. He wanted to prove to Steve that he was old enough to make his own decisions.

"I see."

Steve coughed uncomfortably. He didn't have to say anything. Was Steve, perhaps, a little bit sorry for saying such unkind things to Beast Boy before? Beast Boy waited with baited breath.

"You know, Garfield, I didn't give you much chance to explain yourself last time. Why don't we start over?"

After a moment of consideration Beast Boy began to talk. He liked to talk. He liked to tell jokes that no one thought was funny. But instead of trying to crack a funny joke he spun a tale of rise and fall of the girl named Tara Marko. He told of her redemption, of the ultimate sacrifice she made in order to bring down the Titans' greatest enemy.

He didn't spare any details. Why should he? Terra's story was one that had to be told. The Doom Patrol had to understand why he loved this young woman. Like anyone else, she had her own problems. Anyone can make a mistake. Beast Boy made them all the time. Even Robin made mistakes. Beast Boy didn't know how long he talked for, but he didn't care. When he was finished the Doom Patrol stayed silent for a moment, drinking all of it in.

"Thanks for calling, Gar," Steve said. "Maybe we'll come and visit sometime."

"That would be…uh…nice."

That _was_ nice coming from Steve. And if Steve actually kept his promise…then that would be great. The Doom Patrol wasn't one to take vacations.

"I'll call again," Steve said.

"Sure."

Both of them logged off at nearly the same time. Beast Boy leaned back in his chair and thought back to the time he used to work with the Doom Patrol. They were good times. Perhaps not his glory days, but his experiences with the Doom Patrol made him the person he was today.

He stood up and stretched. While he normally would be sprawled on his bed asleep, Beast Boy felt wide awake. The Titans didn't really have a plan today. Everyone was off doing their own thing. That was fine with him. There were things he needed to do anyway.

Beast Boy transformed into a peregrine falcon and flew out towards Jump City. Everyone else was doing their own thing. Beast Boy knew what he wanted to do. He stopped in front of a floral shop and stepped inside. He loved the overwhelming scents of a thousand flowers wafting towards him.

"Buying flowers for a lovely lady?" the cashier asked, smiling.

She was new. The young woman hadn't been around here long enough to understand who he was buying flowers for. He handed over some cash and held up a hand when she gave him back his change.

"Keep it."

Surprised, the young woman put the change back into the register.

"Yeah, I am," he said. "They're for a very pretty woman."

He clutched the bouquet to his chest as he walked down the road. People who recognized him waved or said hello to him. Beast Boy preferred to give high-fives. By all accounts, he should be feeling down after the events of last night. But for some reason he felt encouraged. Yes, his body still ached from the severe beating he had given himself last night.

He brought flowers.

 **-S-**

9:38am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

Starfire sat on the edge of the rooftop with Silkie in her lap, stroking him softly as she gazed out at the open ocean.

She had seen his face.

Although she did not know his real name Starfire knew that she would not need to. She respected his relationship with the Batman and respected his concern to keep his friends' identities a secret. Slade did not.

Unlike the others, she hadn't yet left the rooftop. She touched her cheek again where he kissed her on the cheek. For the first time in a week she felt incredibly happy. Robin had finally let go of his obsession with Slade. That, above everything else, made her to most happy because she hated seeing any of her friends in danger or emotionally distraught.

In a few minutes she would call Galfore again and discuss what happened last night. He was just the person to talk to. Deep down inside she still had a rational fear of the Gordanians. Even so, it was natural for her to feel fear. It was natural for all of them to fear things. As long as they didn't allow those fears to control their lives then they could all handle it.

She realized that for the briefest of moments she had allowed her imagination to take her captive. Starfire wondered vaguely why she was being held at Wayne Enterprises. That was only the second time she had been the building. But no matter. Nothing else mattered expect this glorious new day ahead of her. Perhaps she would be able to convince Raven to go downtown to do the shopping of dresses and other items. The Titans didn't have a plan for the day.

That was fine with Starfire.

She placed Silkie on the rooftop and ascended into the air, feeling more alive and happy as she thought of his sweet little kiss. Starfire felt as if her happiness would cause her to fly past the stratosphere. There was a new day ahead of her.

Everything was well.

 **-Rae-**

9:45am

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos…Azarath Metrio Zinthos…"

Raven chanted as she hovered in front of the open window. It was strange not having to do something, not having to go off and track down some suspect or another.

 _"You are still mine, child,"_ Trigon's voice said. _"You cannot escape your fate."_

Her violet eyes snapped open. Even without the dust bothering her Raven knew that she would have to deal with the demon inside of her until the end of the world arrived. There was nothing else she could really do to prevent it from happening.

Instead of speaking back to the demon, she closed her eyes again and continued to chant. Due to the events of the past week she hadn't had much time to properly meditate. Her brush with the dust only heightened her uneasiness about her role in the coming apocalypse, but for now everything was okay. The day was saved. Raven supposed that she would always struggle with Trigon and the coming apocalypse.

She would just have to deal with it when the day came.

Raven looked up when she sensed Robin leaving the Tower. A sense of curiosity enveloped her as she sensed his nervousness. She teleported outside to the rocky foundation of Titans Tower, where he stood in civilian clothes. Robin stood on a rock and looked towards Jump City.

"Going somewhere?"

He turned to look at her. He looked different with his hair ungelled and combed neatly back. Robin was dressed neatly in a white button-up shirt and black pants. Raven didn't need to ask to know who he was going to see or why he was dressed so neatly. He did mention yesterday that the man was supposed to be coming to Jump City. Of course, Robin never said who the man was coming as.

"Are you sure you can deal with this?" she asked.

"Yeah…" Robin replied. "It's just one more thing that I have to do."

"Good luck."

Robin turned around to face her. Now that she could see his face in the sunlight she thought that she recognized his face. Raven felt as if she had seen that face somewhere before…but she wouldn't be nosy enough to ask for his name. Of course, she had a theory about who he might be, but she wasn't going to go into it.

"Raven…thanks for saving us last night. I just wanted to ask you…how did you manage to fight back your hallucinations?"

"The same way you did. Mental will-power. Sometimes we just need to accept the fact that we are afraid. Fear is not a weakness. It is a part of who we are. It's perfectly healthy to fear something or someone…we just can't allow it to get to our heads."

The Boy Wonder sat down on the rock and pulled his knees to his chest. She couldn't help but notice how different he looked. He put on a different persona when he put on the mask. Of course, after the events of last night, he seemed a little more mellow than usual.

"I'm afraid to talk to him."

Again, she didn't need him to say anything more to understand who he was talking about. Raven sat down next to him. This kind of fear wasn't one of irrationality or fear for one's life. No, this was a different kind of fear: fear of rejection by his surrogate father.

"You just battled the deepest, darkest fears of your mind. I think you can handle this."

He moved stiffly, his blue eyes darting towards her. She tried not to read what was going on in his mind. Robin allowed a small smile to brighten his face.

"Thanks."

He gave her another quick hug before she could say no. He got up and went away towards the city. Raven heard the briefest thoughts leave his mind about going to the airport to meet with the man. She wondered whether she should tell the others that he was going to be gone, but then decided against it. This was something he truly needed to do alone.

Raven pulled her dark blue cloak around herself and drifted back to the Tower. Even though she normally would like to be left alone—reading a good book, perhaps—Raven felt it appropriate to spend time with friends. She was certain Starfire would want to do things together.

She was so blessed that have such good friends.

 **-C-**

10:15am

Jump City, California

Jump City Recreation Center

With pride swelling in his chest, Cyborg watched his team of Little League players dominate their arch-rivals: the Jump City Giants. It was a game anticipated by kids and parents alike for the past month. Even though the events of last night tired Cyborg, he didn't want to miss this.

 _"GO HOME KARL! GO HOME!"_ Cyborg shouted, nearly jumping up and down in excitement as the handicap kid raced towards the home base. _"RUN!"_

Excitement rushed through him as the kid ran. The crowd of parents and friends and relatives rose in tumultuous waves as Karl ran. The kid threw himself towards home base, his arms outstretched as the third baseman flung the baseball towards the catcher. The cybernetic teen didn't realize that he was shouting like an idiot as he pumped his fist into the air, adrenaline pulsing through him.

"YES!" Cyborg shouted, dropping to his knees as he threw his hands up in the air. _"Oh my goodness! I can't even handle this!"_

Encouraged by Cyborg's enthusiasm, the other kids on the team whooped and cheered as the empire called him safe. Even for Cyborg, he knew that he was acting more excitable than usual. Perhaps it was a natural reaction to last night's events. After going through such a harrowing experience with the dust he wanted to be…free. Amidst all of the screaming and catcalling and angry shouts Cyborg didn't even notice a car pulling up to the side of the field.

A middle-aged man stepped out of a car. Cyborg's cheer died in his throat as he recognized the man as his father. Mr. Stone looked around as he straightening his jacket before his eyes found his son. Instead of waving or shouting Mr. Stone walked up quietly next to his cybernetic son.

"I heard about what happened last night, Victor," Mr. Stone said. "The Justice League contacted me."

Cyborg looked down at his father. Mr. Stone looked out of place in his business suit. Dust from the baseball field would get onto his suit. Cyborg frowned a little at the mention of the Justice League. While his secret identity wasn't as secret as Robin's was, why did the Justice League contact STAR labs? When Cyborg didn't speak Mr. Stone decided to break the silence.

"Do you believe that I don't care about your exploits? I care alot about you, Victor."

Cyborg turned his attention back to the kids and shouted some instructions. Honestly, sometimes they listened to him only half of the time. Mr. Stone waited patiently for his son to stop shouting before continuing to speak.

"I am proud of the things you do," Mr. Stone said. "You're doing a lot of good in the world…and I don't just mean your heroic deeds."

The crowd cheered as one of his kids ran towards the home plate. Cyborg crossed his arms over his chest. He made sure that he did other things besides hero work. He knew that being a hero was more than just punching the bad guys silly. He had to be a role model.

"So you flew all the way out here to come visit me?"

"I had a meeting out here in Jump City. I just…thought I would stop by." Mr. Stone adjusted his glasses. "Why don't we have dinner tonight?"

Surprised, Cyborg found himself nodding. It wasn't often that he got to see his dad. And especially after what happened last night, Cyborg wanted nothing more than to spend time with the people he loved.

"Yeah, that'll be great." Cyborg smiled widely.

 **-R-**

10:23am

Jump City, California

Jump City Airport

Dick Grayson waited patiently in the growing line outside of security. He looked a little worse for wear: a purple bruise here and there, partly hidden by makeup. A butterfly bandage on the side of his face caused some to give him a second glance, but he ignored the stares.

He stole a sidelong glance at the people next to him. Some were holding colorful signs with the name of their loved ones. A few businessmen stood in suits with plain cards, looking incredibly bored. He once heard of a lonely immigrant who felt alone when he had no one to greet him. So the man decided to hold up a sign saying "free hugs." What if Dick made a poster? Well, it was too late now. Besides, it was a little childish to do something like that. Star might've done it if he mentioned it…but no.

After the events of the night before Dick didn't know quite what to do with himself. All of the villains were locked up safely in the Jump City Maximum Security Prison. He was sure that there wouldn't be any big villains to fight today. And if there were people still running around, then the Titans would bring them down.

He looked up as people began to come out of security. Several people greeted one another in different languages. Business associates shook hands and exchanged warm smiles. Mothers hugged sons returning home from war. Families were reunited.

Soon Dick became the only one waiting for someone to arrive.

He placed his hands behind his back and waited patiently. There was no doubt in his mind that they would come. After everything that had happened to the Titans during the past week all Dick wanted was peace and quiet. He simply wanted to enjoy the company of people he knew and loved. He stood up a little on his toes as a crowd of people pooled out. These people were from Gotham. His heart leapt as he saw a familiar face come out.

"Alfred!" Dick exclaimed, ducking underneath the rope. "You came!"

Dick threw his arms around Alfred and embraced the older man. Regardless of the people watching, he allowed tears to fall down his face as he buried his face in Alfred's shoulder. This was one man he wasn't afraid to cry in front of. He could never cry as Robin the Boy Wonder, but he could as Richard Grayson. He found himself clutching Alfred's shirt in tight fists, as though afraid that he would lose the old butler too. Alfred awkwardly set down a suitcase and returned the hug.

"I missed you too, Master Dick," Alfred said in a low voice.

After a moment they broke apart. Alfred's eyes slid over the bruises and cuts on Dick's face, but he didn't say anything about them.

"How are you feeling, Master Dick?" Alfred asked.

"Fine. Just fine."

His eyes went over Alfred's shoulder. A familiar dark-haired man walked out of security. Dark circles under his eyes graced the man's handsome face, which caused some whispering among the waiting crowd. Suddenly people began to realize who Dick was. The whispers became excited.

Bruce Wayne approached Dick and stood over him. A plethora of emotions washed over Dick in battering waves. This was the first time he had faced the man for almost two years. Not only that, but Dick knew that they both shared the same experience last night even though both were on opposite ends of the continent. The two men simply looked at each other, as though daring the other to act first.

"You've gotten taller," Bruce said, lifting up a hand to measure Dick's height. "You're almost to my chin now."

A chuckle escaped from Dick's lips. That was really the first thing that came to Bruce's mind? For a billionaire playboy he could be pretty socially awkward.

"Holy strawberries, Bruce, aren't we in a jam?" Dick quipped. "Are you afraid that I'll outgrow you?"

It was Bruce's turn to laugh. Dick found himself smiling uneasily. How long had it been since he said a horrible pun like that? He picked up his suitcase and put an arm around Dick's shoulder. Some of the people holding posters smiled at them as they walked by. For now, though, this was an act. A façade. Both of them didn't want the public to think that something was wrong in their relationship.

Dick was well-aware of how they appeared to the paparazzi now swarming outside the airport. They appeared to be uncle and nephew instead of father and son, but that was okay with Dick.

"Mr. Wayne! Mr. Wayne!" a reported shouted, waving a tape recorder in his face. "What is your business in Jump City?"

"Just family business!" Bruce called out, waving the press away. He lowered his voice to speak in Dick's ear. "How are you, Dick?"

"Fine," Dick replied, feigning a smile.

Why didn't he feel okay? The Titans saved the day. Everyone was safe. Bruce was safe. So why did he feel so uneasy? Was it because this was the first time he had seen Bruce in almost two years? What was he afraid of? Rejection?

"I'll go get the car," Alfred said, sprinting a little to catch up to them.

The dynamic duo walked quickly away to avoid the press and now-squealing fangirls. Why had Bruce decided to take a plane instead of a private jet? It was an odd choice, but Dick didn't say anything. As they walked outside of the airport reporters began to snap pictures of them. He stole a quick glance towards Bruce's face as they hurried to the waiting car.

How could this man be the same person as Batman? As both the ward of Bruce Wayne and the protégée of Batman Dick could see and understand both sides of the man better than anyone. Bruce was a hard teacher, sure, but Dick much preferred to be a protégée than an apprentice any day. The label "apprentice" held a more distant connotation. Now protégée…well, that just held a more positive connotation that pointed towards a loving relationship.

They got into the back of the car and sat there in silence as Alfred drove them towards Bruce's westside penthouse. Dick found himself twiddling his thumbs and wondering what to say. Should he talk about what happened last night? Should he continue the conversation Bruce so rudely interrupted yesterday morning?

Bruce appeared to be struggling with the same questions. The two of them deliberately looked away from each other, as though afraid to offend the other with a single word. Aside from their superhero antics, what else was there to talk about? Did they ever discuss anything other than their secret superhero lives?

They turned onto a road running alongside the boardwalk. People frolicked on the beach while chicks in skates zipped by slow walkers. Most people on the boardwalk headed towards the pier, where a small carnival was located. This was the same carnival where Starfire was attacked by the alien probes looking for her sister, Blackfire.

"Hey Alfie, can you stop here?" Dick asked, leaning forward and tapping Alfred on the shoulder.

As he suspected, Alfred frowned slightly at the nickname. No one else besides Dick was allowed to call him that, and even then it was stretching his patience. He pulled the car to a stop in front of the boardwalk.

They stood on the pier and looked out towards Titans Tower, where his friends were waiting for him. Dick still hadn't told them his secret identity. Whether or not he was going to tonight was up to Bruce. All he knew was that tonight the few villains not rounded up last night by the JLA will be surprised to find the Titans accompanied by a particular bat.

Dick and Bruce stood in silence, simply enjoying the wonderful view and each other's company. He stole a sidelong glance to his mentor. Bruce must be sweltering in that business suit. It was a hot day today. It was a good day to hang out at the beach. He really should spend more time out here in California.

"Dick," Bruce said, "I want to ask you something."

Dick looked up at Bruce. "What?"

"I just…I wanted to know if those early years we spent training and fighting crime…as Batman and Robin…they were good, weren't they?"

Dick looked towards the open ocean. Memories of his time in Gotham City flashed through his mind. He remembered the pain he felt as he watched his parents fall to their deaths. The scum they had to fight on Gotham's streets. The Joker's antics. Robin's bad puns that became iconic and repeated throughout Gotham. Despite all of the violence he had seen and all of violence he had to deliver, Dick realized that he wouldn't take it back for the world.

Back in Slade's old haunt…when the dust had nearly destroyed his mind…Dick's instincts screamed at him to survive. Now that all of this madness was over, Dick didn't want to simply survive on animal instincts. Anyone could survive anything, but living is something quite different. A victim of a car accident could survive but live in a comatose state, utterly unable to interact with the world. A soldier could come back from war and suffer from post-traumatic stress so much that it became a mental illness. Heck, even a prison inmate could come out of jail and pull a heist just to go back to prison. Dick didn't want to be like those people. It just wasn't in his nature.

He had survived Gotham's violence. He had survived the apprenticeship. He had survived the dust.

Now it was time to start living again.

His face broke into a wide smile. For the first time in a year he looked like the small child Bruce took under his wing. Dick thought of everything he wished for while he was Slade's apprentice. Here, then, was a true form of fatherly love that Slade could never amount to. Even if he and Bruce disagreed on many things there was still a strong bond between them that no one could ever break. Much to the surprise of his mentor, Dick wrapped his arms around Bruce and hugged him swiftly.

"They were the best, Bruce. The best."

 **THE END**

* * *

 **A/N:**

WAHHHHHHH

Okay, so I stole a little line from _Infinite Crisis_. I just LOVED that little interaction between Batman and Nightwing in that story and felt that it was the best way to end this story. I also felt it appropriate to end with another Bible verse, since I began the prologue with a verse from Ecclesiastes (such an emo book!). The first quote is from the Old Testament and this quote is from the New Testament, so you can see the shift from fear and despair to that of love and hope. My goodness, my Old Testament and New Testament classes are getting to me! Even if you don't believe in Christianity just appreciate the beautiful language of that passage.

Did I ever expect the story to get this big? Honestly, no. I originally thought this would end at around 90,000 words, but then it kind of snowballed into this madness. I then got super into it and sacrificed much sleep to get in my daily word count (at least a 1,000 words). Writing this was a lot of fun, though, and I hope that you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing this.

Special thanks to the following people:

My parents: for putting up with my obsession with DC Comics and Teen Titans over the summer even though I'm getting a little old for this.

My brother: for giving me his honest opinion about the plotline of this story. He also enjoyed reading your reviews.

My roomie: who also writes fanfiction for different fandoms. We put up with each other's insane giggling and late-night fanfiction writing when we're supposed to be doing homework. She also gave me her honest opinion about the plotline of this story.

My friends: including a particular suitemate who I would taunt everyday about the posting of the next chapter, people who actually read this when I posted the link to Facebook, and other people I've met online and elsewhere outside of virtual reality who I've converted to this fic. You know who you are. I love you all.

And, of course, to you reviewers: without you, I might not have even finished this. Thank you guys so much for reading!

For those who have been lurking and not leaving reviews, I would like to hear from you now. Review this chapter, of course, but since this is a big piece of work I would also like you guys to review this story as a whole. How was my pacing? Plotting? Foreshadowing? Writing in general? If there is anything I could have done better or different let me know. If you review this chapter I'll get back to you (log in if you can, I don't know how I'll get back to you anonymous reviewers…)! Just so I can personally thank you for reading through this beast.

Well, I think I'll be taking a break and focusing on NaNoWriMo! I'll be letting my creative juices lie fallow for a while on fanfiction. I'll still be around probably, but I won't posting anything than the occasional oneshot. After that craziness is over what would you like to see from me next? I have a poll up on my profile for you guys to vote on which story you want to see next. Here are my ideas:

1) Another "one year later" apprentice story like "Entrapment."

2)A story that takes place between Forces of Nature and Apprentice Pt. 2 that basically explores the idea of Robin taking on the identity of Red X to entrap Slade while Slade decides to take Robin on as an Apprentice.

3)A Season 6 story. I want to do this, but if I do it then it won't come out anytime soon. Extensive planning/outlining would be required on my part. This story will have 13 parts (each representing an episode a la the TV show) with a few silly/filler stories and an overarching plotline circling around Starfire.

4)Or something else? I have what I will and will not write on my profile page. Suggestions always welcome!

Until next time, ladies and gentlemen, this Aes Sedai bids you a fair adieu. :)


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